


Momentary Bliss

by monkeyfish



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Alcohol, Angst and Romance, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Reti, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, some sexual content, some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:20:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkeyfish/pseuds/monkeyfish
Summary: Two years after Aerith's healing water had appeared in Edge in the aftermath of Cloud's fight with Sephiroth, its effects are virtually gone. Geostigma is still affecting the people of Gaia, and without a known cure, the race to find out why the effects are fading is on.At the same time, Tifa has domestic bliss with Cloud, but feelings for a certain Turk are slowly emerging.Tifa/Reno, but a little Tifa/Cloud to begin with.Rating for a little smut. Tags will change as new chapters are updated.
Relationships: Elena/Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Reno
Comments: 38
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

The engine’s roar from outside died down, and a minute later Cloud walked into Seventh Heaven. Tifa looked up from the pots and pans full of today’s dinner preparations with a smile. She turned with open arms to greet him.

“Hey, you!”

“Hey,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.

They met with a kiss as Tifa rested her hands around his neck.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“Good. Package delivered on time, but I had some rain coming back through Kalm.”

“You must be cold, then. Go have a shower, dinner will be ready in about half an hour,” Tifa said with a kiss to his neck.

“I will. It smells great,” he said, smiling.

They untangled as Tifa turned back to the oven.

“I’m making beef stew, and managed to get some thyme, so hopefully it will be good!”

“Can’t wait, I’m starving.”

“Did you not eat again?” Tifa chided, turning her head to see Cloud head towards the stairs leading up to the bathroom. She had noticed that whenever he went for fairly long deliveries, he tended to not eat properly. She couldn’t stand that he wasn’t taking care of himself or giving his body the nutrition it needed and had talked to him about it on several occasions.

“I knew you would have something delicious ready when I came home.” He smiled.

She opened her mouth to respond, but got cut off by his disappearing voice and heavy boot steps as he darted up the stairs for the shower:

“Love you!”

She huffed a laugh and kept stirring the stew. Seemed like they needed to have another talk about how food was a necessity for the human body.

“We’re talking about this later!” she shouted up after him.

She could hear the water turn on, then Denzel’s door opening, followed by his footsteps and excited voice as he greeted Cloud welcome home.

The muttering noises of the two of them made Tifa happy. Denzel was always excited to have Cloud home. Marlene was with Barret this week, so Tifa was only making dinner for three (but prepared enough for four, as she counted on Cloud eating an extra portion tonight).

A chirp had her reaching for her PHS in her pocket, revealing a text message from Elena.

_So... Guess who asked me over tonight, to “hang out” and “maybe have some food”._

Tifa chuckled and wrote her reply.

_Will you be doing the cooking, or is he going to be nice this time?_

_He didn’t say, so I assume it will be me again._

_At least let him cut the vegetables. And remember protection. For your own good._

_Ha-ha, you keep saying that. And thanks... Will let you know how it went tomorrow._

Tifa shook her head, putting her PHS back in her pocket.

She and Elena had gotten close since Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo had wreaked havoc on Edge. These days, their conversations mostly centered around the kids, Cloud, and Elena’s frustration at the lack of commitment from Tseng. She was head-over-heels for him, and they had been intimate many times, but he seemed to not want to commit to a relationship with her. Tifa kept telling her to stop opening her legs for him and not let him take advantage of her whenever he wanted. It seemed, however, that Tifa’s well-meaning advice went in one ear and out the other most of the time.

Regardless, she enjoyed their talks and appreciated the friendship she had built with the blonde.

Being friends with Elena seemed to automatically come with extra friends, as Rude and Reno were her other closest confidants. The four of them often hung out when Tifa had time outside of working the bar and looking after the kids, especially when Cloud was out of town with his deliveries. The Turks would also come to keep her company in the bar, either all together, or one or two at a time, Elena and Reno being the most frequent. Cloud would join occasionally when he was at home, but he rarely enjoyed the Turks’ company as much as Tifa now did. Yuffie might be her _best_ friend, but she spoke to her irregularly these days as Yuffie was back in Wutai. A phone call every other month kept them updated on each other’s lives, but it had been almost a year since they had met in person. Tifa missed the ninja.

Soft footsteps sounded from the stairs. Denzel appeared a moment later, his hair cut to show off his forehead after his Geostigma was cured.

“Tifa, how long for dinner?”

“It’s almost ready. You can put the dishes on the table if you want to be helpful,” she said with a smile.

He flew into action, and started talking about the plans for the weekend now that Cloud was back again, suggesting a long trip. Tifa considered it for a moment.

“Maybe the three of us could eat out in Edge? I’m sure Cloud is tired of driving around from his deliveries, so let’s stay close to Edge this time. We’ll take a longer trip another day, okay?”

Denzel sighed, but nodded his agreement.

“Maybe we can try the restaurant near Barret’s place?” he suggested eagerly, knowing it would most likely attract the man and his daughter as well.

“That’s a great idea!” replied Tifa enthusiastically. “Go wash your hands now, dinner is served as soon as Cloud gets out of the shower.”

Tifa was happy these days. Looking across the table at Cloud, whom she had been with ever since his Geostigma was cured, made her smile. Seeing him light up when interacting with Denzel made her heart light. Hearing Denzel’s genuine laughter when Cloud teased him made her laugh with them.

When the water in Aerith’s church appeared and cured the people’s Geostigma around Edge, it did wonders for Cloud’s psyche. His mood brightened, and he opened up about his feelings towards her. The first night they had spent together had been a little awkward to start, as they didn’t know each other’s preferences, but the long overdue union of the two was passionate and fulfilling for both. The more they had been together, the more comfortable they became with letting the other know what they wanted and be more vocal about it.

“I met Vincent before I left Kalm,” Cloud shared as he finished a mouthful of stew.

“Does he still look like a vampire?” Denzel asked with a smile.

“Denzel…”

“He does,” Cloud said and returned a smile to the boy. “And he told me to say hello to you. Both.”

Denzel smiled. Vincent had grown on him since Loz and Yazoo had abducted him a few years back, and he loved it whenever the man dropped by on his way around the world.

“He also gave me a little something to give you and Marlene, but I’ll wait for her to get back here before giving it to you. Yeah?”

The boy’s face lit up, and he nodded eagerly.

“How is Vincent these days? It’s been a while since I’ve seen him,” Tifa asked, dipping her bread in the stew.

Cloud hesitated a moment.

“He’s fine. He’s working with Reeve on the Geostigma vaccine development.”

Denzel glanced towards Cloud, looking at his arm as if he could see through the fabric of his shirt to where the Geostigma used be manifested. Similarly, Cloud’s gaze fell on Denzel’s clear forehead, now proudly displayed with a shorter haircut swept upwards. Cloud gave him a gentle smile, the two of them sharing the same painful past. Tifa sighed.

“I hope they manage it soon. The hospital in Edge is always packed with people travelling here for the water in Aerith’s church, but…” She drifted off.

When the water first appeared, the healing effect was instant, and full. Both Cloud and Denzel had been lucky to be present and receive the full effect. The hospital had started collecting the water to distribute it in a more organized manner, as well as to be able to have data on the number of infected and cured. The more months had passed since then, the longer it took for the Geostigma to recede for the people receiving the water treatment. It had been clear that some medicine and vaccine needed to be developed as soon as it was clear the water was losing its effect, and WRO with Reeve at the head of it had volunteered to lead this process.

That had been years ago, and the vaccine was still not in place. Edge Hospital had long queues these days with infected people hoping the water would still work for them. Luckily it seemed that once you were cured of Geostigma, you could not get it again, but for more and more people, the water had no effect on their illness. Some daring people made their way to the church back in old Midgar to try the water from its source, but reports stated there was no difference in the effect.

Tifa sighed.

“Vincent said nothing about how they are doing with it?”

“No.”

“I guess he’ll tell us what he can, when he can.”

Tifa’s PHS buzzed again. She excused herself from the conversation, and the boys went back to chatting casually as she fished out her device to read the latest text message. It was from Reno.

_Yo, we drinking tonight?_

She looked up at Cloud and Denzel before replying.

_Cloud came back today, so I think I’ll stay in. The bar will be closed, but maybe tomorrow?_

Denzel was excited for the outing this weekend, but that was two days away, and she should be able to meet up with her friends before then. Reno’s reply came promptly.

_Aight, deal, see you tomorrow! Say hi to spikey._

Tifa smiled at her phone. Reno had become a good friend the past year, and Tifa found it especially humorous when him and Elena had verbal sparring matches. They were like a pair of siblings, arguing about nothing. 

She had spent more and more time with the Turks whenever Cloud had been out on deliveries. One night Reno had gotten so drunk that even Rude was concerned he wouldn’t wake up the next day. Before the taxi had arrived to pick him up, Tifa had been put on babysitting duty to tend to the drunken man, when he had started crying. 

She remembered it clearly, despite having been quite inebriated herself, how he had been hiding his head in his hands, the tears streaming down his face while he was sobbing. Between the whimpers, he kept saying _“I am so fucking sorry”, “I don’t know how to make it up to you”, “I didn’t have a fucking choice._ ” She knew it had been about the plate, her heart cracking at the realization, and had held him as he cried. 

Tifa had also struggled with doing things in her past that went against her moral code. She had no choice but to tag along, committed to a cause with a more violent agenda than she wanted to be a part of. Reno’s sincere emotional breakdown had broken down whatever reservations she still had for him, opening up a soft spot for him in her heart. They hadn’t talked about his crying after that night, but he had seemed lighter the next time she saw him, and she had made sure to embrace him to indicate that everything was fine.

“Cloud, Reno says hi.”

Cloud looked at her.

“Oh,” he cleared his throat. “Thanks...”

She put her phone away when she noticed his uneasiness at the mention of Reno’s name. Cloud had never learned to like the Turk, even after all this time. They were not enemies anymore, but Cloud always seemed uncomfortable around Reno. Reno, on the other hand, extended a friendly hand whenever he could.

“I’m meeting the trio tomorrow evening, if you want to join?” she suggested.

Cloud shifted in his seat.

“I think I’ll spend some time with Denzel since I haven’t seen him for a while. Might go by Barret’s and see Marlene too.”

Denzel smiled at the idea of spending the evening with Cloud and Marlene.

“Yeah!”

Tifa nodded, her chest a little heavy from him dodging spending time with her. “Okay. Tell them hi from me.”

As they went to bed that night, Cloud snuck under Tifa’s duvet and slowly started stroking her naked stomach, leaving light kisses along her neck. She could feel his arousal growing behind her, as he paid close attention to her breasts with his hand before moving it down between her thighs. It felt good when he gently brushed her with increasing pressure, but her heart wasn’t really in it tonight. 

She relented eventually to his continuous attention. She fished out a small bottle of lube from her nightstand as she wasn’t as ready as he was, letting him rub it on himself and around her entrance before he lifted her leg and entered from behind, both still laying on the bed.

She went through the motions, quietly moaning at the thrusts and gripping the bed sheets as his speed increased. He whispered her name and nipped her neck as he went. He had forgone her pleasure point, so she moved a hand down to attend to it herself, but by the time he finished, she had not found her own release.

“That was great,” he whispered as he moved to get a cloth for her.

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Did you…?”

“No, not quite.” She put on a smile to show him it was okay. She didn’t expect full release _every_ time they did it. Sometimes she wasn’t in the mood, and sometimes he wasn’t. Sometimes it took more time to _get there_. It was natural.

“Ah. Do you want me to...help?” Cloud inquired, giving her the cloth.

She kissed him as he leaned over.

“No, I’m tired. We can go again another time.”

“Okay.”

He put his head on the pillow, asleep within minutes, exhausted from his trip and the vigorous activity in bed. Tifa got up and put on her robe to go clean herself in the bathroom, stepping lightly in the hallway to not wake up Denzel.

Upon returning to the bed, she found herself not so tired anymore. She ended up reading through some news articles about the Geostigma vaccine on her PHS to make her eyes sleepy. One reported no breakthroughs on any medicine that seemed to have an effect, and that the water had more or less completely stopped treating the disease. Old news. 

The next article was a more religious approach, where the writer claimed Minerva had left them, causing the healing properties of the water to disappear. Tifa frowned at the lack of mention of Aerith’s involvement with the healing, knowing it had been her that had summoned the healing rain. She knew the religious fanatics tended to believe more in a deity they couldn’t see than a bubbly woman who had walked beside them that they didn’t quite know, but it was still a little upsetting to read.

A text from Reno popped up halfway through her third article, which tried to connect the terrors that had come with Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo to the disappearing healing effects. She closed it, not bothering to read any further, and opened the text.

_Found a new place for drinks 2nite. Not as good as yours. Not as fun alone. Come out?_

She quickly typed her reply. _I’m in bed, Reno, sorry._

_Ooh, are you now. Whatcha wearing?_

Tifa found herself smiling. She should just dismiss him, but as she was slightly unfulfilled at the moment, she found his attention intriguing, and decided to attempt a joke.

_Same as I wear when I shower._

His reply was instant.

_Damn, Tifa. HOT._

She felt her heartbeat elevate as another text from him came in before she had time to reply again.

_You’re a tease. Good thing I like a tease._

A gentle throb between her thighs, from the union with Cloud...probably, had her biting her lip. _Go home, Reno, you’re drunk._

_Only had two tonight! Boring on my own! COME OUT TO PLAY_

He sounded like a spoiled child, but she smiled and replied:

_We have a playdate tomorrow, remember?_

_How can I forget? Wear what you’re wearing now._

_If you’re lucky. Goodnight, Reno._

_Sweet dreams, Tifa ;)_

She grinned wide and put her PHS away, eventually managing to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you @SixthNight for helping me beta!
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Tifa woke up the next morning, to the sound of Cloud’s soft snoring and steady breaths. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, the warmth of him a reassuring presence next to her. He shifted his arm to make room for her, still half asleep. Tifa shuffled in under his duvet to cuddle a little before she got out of bed, and he pulled her close as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

A few minutes went by before Cloud’s breathing became steady again. She could hear his heart beating calmly through his muscled chest and knew he had drifted off. She loved waking up next to him. Some of his deliveries kept him away for weeks, which made their shared bed feel cold and empty, so she savoured his warmth whenever he was at home.

He made sure that the longer trips were few and far between, only taking them if they needed extra money, or if they had nothing special planned. Tifa appreciated it immensely, as it gave him time to help around the bar and the apartment, and with the kids who loved him dearly.

She placed her hand on his chest and caressed gently up and down his stomach, feeling his soft skin under her fingertips. Her thoughts went back to the night before. She pictured him behind her with his length inside of her, kissing her neck, rubbing her. The thought of it made her aroused, and her fingers slipped further down his stomach to his hip bones and the sleeping giant beneath. It stirred under her touch, but she did not dare to grab it fully in case it would wake up Cloud. She kept stroking the smooth skin, moving slowly but surely, until she felt it starting to grow.

Cloud’s breath hitched in his sleep, and she smiled, continuing her gentle movements, working her way to the tip. When it had hardened enough to lift on its own accord, she put her hand around it, lightly sliding her hand back and forth, and slowly moved her head towards Cloud’s nipple to lick it. She felt his member suddenly twitch as her tongue swirled around the small pink bud, and Cloud awoke.

They locked eyes. The heat in her eyes matched that of her core and as soon as Cloud understood what was happening, he flipped her on her back and dove in for a kiss. She squealed and kissed him back with fervor. There was no lube needed this time, he slipped in easily. With her own hand on top of his circling her button, she unraveled as his rhythmic movements filled her up inside.

“Yeah?” he asked between pulsing breaths.

“Yes!” she exclaimed with a laughter that turned to a moan as he sped up and found his own release.

“Good morning to you too,” he said as he laid back on the bed. “That was  _ some _ way to wake up. What brought that on?”

Tifa grinned.

“I was just... in the mood this morning.”

“I’m so glad I’m home.”

“Me too.”

She kissed him and got up to get ready for the day.

Denzel came downstairs in his pyjamas to the smell of toast, eggs and bacon, joining Cloud at the table to eat. Cloud ruffled his already messy morning hair as he sat down, and Denzel playfully pushed away Cloud’s hand. They shared a smile as Tifa placed the newly cooked bacon in front of them.

“Maps away,” she told Cloud, who had been studying routes whilst waiting for breakfast to finish.

He obediently folded and placed them on a chair next to him before helping himself to some food. The three of them ate in comfortable silence for a while, besides Denzel’s munching.

“I’ll keep the bar closed the next few days, since I’m going out with the Turks tonight when you’re visiting Barret and Marlene, and then I want to spend time with you guys,” Tifa said well into her meal.

Cloud grunted his agreement.

“I’ll help when you reopen.”

“Thanks,” she smiled.

“Where are you going with the Turks this time?” he inquired.

“I’m actually not sure. They’ve mentioned a new place to try, but I don’t know where it is.”

“Just let me know if you’re in trouble, or if you need me to pick you up.”

“I  _ can _ take care of myself, but thank you.”

“I just…,” he hesitated, looking towards Denzel, who looked between them with a mouthful of eggs. “ _ Some people _ might be up to no good.”

Tifa frowned.

“It will be fine, Cloud. Elena will be there, and she’ll beat up anyone who gets close to me.”

He huffed a low laughter and put on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Just… Let me know if you need me, okay?”

“I will.”

Tifa turned back to her meal. She knew Cloud didn’t trust the Turks the way she now did. They had grown to be great friends to her, their past actions atoned for and forgiven, but with Cloud gone on deliveries and his unwillingness to befriend them when he was present, it was hard to convince him otherwise.

Evening fell, and Tifa said goodbye to Cloud and Denzel, who headed for Barret and Marlene’s. They had spent the day talking and playing one of Denzel’s favourite board games. Cloud had packed Vincent’s gifts for the kids in his bag as they left, sending a smile Tifa’s way at the excitement from Denzel.

She got dressed in a white crop top and a long, flowery skirt with a hidden high split, and completed her outfit with a pair of short heels. She spritzed some perfume on her hair, neck and wrists, and finished with some light makeup.

Elena had texted her earlier saying to be ready for six o’clock, so Tifa waited on a barstool inside of Seventh Heaven. Like clockwork, a knock on the door that could not be mistaken for anyone but Reno sounded. It was almost melodic.

_ rat-tatat-tat-tat...tat-tat _

She opened to find him dressed in his usual suit with the extreme low-cut shirt to show off his smooth chest, which meant he hadn’t changed since he got off from work, a smirk placed on his face as he took her in.

“I thought you were going au naturel tonight.”

She laughed and locked eyes with him. 

“I said if you’re lucky. Guess it’s not your night.”

Tifa moved past him and turned to lock the doors behind her.

“You wound me, Tifa,” he said, feigning hurt. “Well, I just have to be patient then!”

“Guess you do.”

He winked playfully at her and started walking, his hands in his pockets. She fell in step beside him.

“So where are we going? The place you found yesterday?”

“Nah, good company couldn’t even save that place. Elena is waiting for us at Blossom.”

Blossom was one of the newer nightclubs in Edge. The theme was flowers, and the owners had taken inspiration from Aerith’s church from Sector 5 in old Midgar, furnishing and decorating the inside based on it. The booths were made to look like church benches, the walls had painted “glass windows” with images of lilies, roses, peons and other flowers on them, and the dance floor had tiles with ingrained flowers. Plastic flower decorations spread out on the ceiling, along the walls, on the tables, and small chandeliers lit up the venue. The bar was like an altar, the only off-brand thing about it being the neon lights. They were present so people could locate it in the club's dimness.

Tifa liked it and had visited it once or twice. It kept Aerith’s memory alive, being a place for joy and expression.

“What about Rude?” Tifa asked.

“Not coming. He had to work, Tseng pulled him in.”

Tifa wondered if it had anything to do with Elena’s visit the night before. She knew both Reno and Rude were well aware of Elena’s situation and disagreed with it.  _ Don’t bite the hand that feeds you _ , Reno had told her. Elena had bitten him in response.

“Oh, okay. I guess you have to take care of us two ladies tonight then!”

He lifted a brow and grinned in her direction.

“You know you love it.”

She batted his arm playfully, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face. He laughed in response, making warmth spread in her chest.

They jumped in a taxi, chatting as they went down a few blocks to arrive at their destination.

Reno paid the entry fee to Blossom for Tifa and himself, and inside they found Elena in a booth along the wall with a view of the dance floor. She wore a navy blouse and a black pair of trousers, sipping from the swirly straw of a very feminine-looking drink (tall glass, pink liquid, umbrella, a yellow edible flower), looking angry and miserable.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Tifa asked with concern over the music and sat down next to Elena.

“I’ll get the first round, what do you want?” Reno interjected before Elena could reply.

“Surprise me.” Tifa smiled at him. He walked towards the bar, leaving the girls alone.

“Have a guess,” Elena said.

Tifa had to consider what Elena would be the most mad about: Tseng sleeping with her and then tossing her away like a washcloth, or refusing to sleep with her altogether.

“He… didn’t sleep with you?” Tifa guessed, placing a hand on Elena’s shoulder.

“Oh, he slept with me, all right. Twice, even. Once while I was cooking, right there on the kitchen bench, and once after we ate, nice and civil on the couch,” she complained. Tifa hesitated a little.

“So… Why are you upset?”

“I’m not upset. Do I look upset?”

Tifa gave her a deadpan stare and had to laugh.

“It looks like you’ve had the worst day at work,  _ and _ received a pay cut,  _ and _ learned that you got evicted, all on the same day.”

“Oh, screw you,” Elena replied and cracked a smile. “I’m mad because he always ends it by saying, ‘ _ This cannot happen again, Elena. This was the last time _ ’, and it’s bullshit, ‘cause it  _ always _ happens again, and it’s  _ never _ the last time. Can’t he just admit we’re a thing?”

“Right… Maybe he would be more inclined to admit it if you learned to say no to him once in a while, so he didn’t always get his way. He knows you’ll come running when he calls.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before. Not everyone can get laid whenever they want, you know.”

Elena raised her eyebrows at Tifa as she took a massive swig of her drink, the pink liquid racing up through the swirly straw.

Reno returned with a similar-looking drink for Tifa, albeit yellow instead of pink, and a tall glass with ice and clear liquid for himself, probably a simple vodka mix.

“For you, the Storming Lily, and for me, the Watery Wonder.” He sat down on the bench opposite them.

“That’s a good one, Tifa,” Elena interjected. “I had one of those before this one.”

“What’s yours called?”

“I think it was just Pink Ribbon. It’s very sweet. Here, try it,” she said, pushing her drink towards Tifa.

Tifa touched her lips to the straw and noticed Reno staring at her as she tried to taste the drink. He took a sip of his own drink as he kept his eyes on her. Something flashed in his eyes, gone as soon as he blinked.

“Oh, wow, that is sweet.” Tifa turned to try some of her own drink.

“Told you. Reno got you a good one.”

Elena sipped at her drink again, half slumping on the table, staring out on the dance floor. Tifa looked back across the table at Reno, now smirking at her. She tested her own drink, her eyes firmly locked with his, and swallowed before smacking her lips. It was sweet, yet tart and acidic, with a hint of mint.

“Mmm, that’s lovely,” she said to the both of them.

Reno raised his glass with a nod and took another sip.

“You’re welcome.”

“Thank you.” Tifa smiled.

“Manners cost nothing.” He winked at her.

“Oh, shut up, you’re an ass without manners, Reno,” Elena spluttered.

“Want me to leave, woman? I have manners! I might be an ass, but I look after you, you big baby. Stop moping.”

“I’m not moping! I came here to have fun.”

“You seem to have as much fun as someone who has to ram their tongue so far up Tseng’s ass that they can taste what he had for dinner yesterday.”

Tifa gasped, and the shock on Elena’s face was picture worthy. The shock quickly turned to fiery rage, her eyes shooting daggers at Reno, before she turned to Tifa with the same piercing eyes.

“Did you tell him?!”

“About what?!”

“That I was there yesterday!”

“You had your tongue up Tseng’s ass yesterday?” Reno asked, clearly entertained.

“No!” Tifa exclaimed. “When would I have done that, you literally just told me!”

Elena stopped in her tracks, went quiet for a moment, and calmed down instantly.

“Sorry, you’re right. I need a stronger drink,” she said, getting up to go to the bar. “And  _ you’re paying _ ,” she added, pointing at Reno.

He tossed her his wallet. “Remember to order a glass of water for your burning loins,” he said with a wicked grin.

Elena picked up the table decoration (a small vase with a single plastic flower) and flung it at him. He dodged it easily and laughed as her short heels walked away. He then casually leaned back on the bench, eyeing Tifa.

“Did she really stick her tongue up his ass?”

“She didn’t provide details… Thankfully,” Tifa said, getting back to her drink.

He huffed a laugh. “We’ll talk some sense into her one day.”

“We’ll see,” she said. “Elena’s pretty stubborn.”

“Don’t I know it.”

She returned soon after with the same drink Tifa had almost finished, as well as a tray of shots for them all. Her mission was clear: To get drunk as hell and forget about Tseng.

One after another, they shot their way through the drinks, and eventually ended up on the dance floor together, the music blasting out of the speakers.

Elena’s mood had taken a 180-degree turn, now bright as the sun. She was loudly singing along to the music as Reno spun her around, similar to how Barret would spin Marlene around when she wore her ballet costume. Tifa laughed at the comparison in her head, drawing Reno’s attention. He let Elena go, leaving her to feel the music on her own.

Reno grabbed Tifa’s hand, twirling her around, her long skirt flowing wide and revealing her long legs through the high split in the skirt. He finished the twirl with the two of them face to face, holding her there for a moment. Tifa grinned. He gently let her go, continuing to dance, but watching her movements closely.

Tifa smiled widely at him, feeling a need to reach for his arm to give it a friendly squeeze as she had such a great time. 

He immediately took her hand again and pulled her in, holding her close. He placed his other hand on her lower back, which was clammy from the dancing. Her own free hand landed on his bare chest, just as clammy as her own skin. She stopped breathing as he stared into her eyes, devouring her whole.

Reno leaned towards her ear, his nose touching her hair. His mouth brushed her ear, giving her goosebumps, as he spoke loudly enough so she could hear him over the loud music.

“You smell fucking intoxicating.”

The vibrations of his voice reverberated through her, down her neck and down through her chest, collecting in her core. She was speechless.

His hands let her go, and she backed away from him, reservedly looking between him and Elena. She was dancing with her eyes closed still.

Tifa couldn’t hear the music anymore. Reno’s smirk was securely in place as he looked her up and down slowly, landing on her face. Did he just wet his lips? Somehow her legs felt weak all of a sudden.

Elena opened her eyes mid-dance and found Tifa’s hands, pulling her along to dance with her. This distracted Reno’s hungry stare, now instead watching the two women dance together, laughing at the state of the blonde. Soon after, Elena crashed into him and almost fell over.

“I should take her home,” Reno said over the music, keeping her upright.

“Okay!” Tifa shouted back. “I’ll head home as well, then.”

Outside Blossom, they parted ways. Elena gave Tifa an enormous hug, clearly inebriated.

“I _love_ _you_ , Tifa. Thank you for putting up with me, even though I never listen to you.”

Tifa squeezed the blonde back with a wide smile.

“One of these days, Elena. Sleep tight,” and as she turned towards Reno, she continued: “And you. Get her home safely. Please message me when you’re home too.”

She embraced him tightly to say goodbye, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. He smelled like leather, apples and sweat. His warm chest cushioned her head as she relaxed against him. His arms enveloped her fully, and his chin rested on top of her head. She felt so secure it was hard to let him go.

“I’ll message you from home, sure.”

He held her for another moment before letting go.

Tifa smiled widely at them with a wave as she watched Reno leading Elena away, his arm firmly tucked around hers to keep her upright as they walked. Before they rounded a corner, Reno turned back with an exasperated look to Tifa. He laughed as Elena slapped his arm to let go of hers, and gave her a small push, sending the woman flying sideways. Tifa laughed to herself at the two and waited for them to disappear before heading back home.

She decided to walk, both to save the money on a taxi, and because her legs needed a stretch. She found her PHS and read an unopened text message from Cloud as she walked.

_ Hope you’re having fun. Marlene and Denzel loved the WHO pins from Vincent. _

Her fingers were slightly unsteady as she replied. 

_ Great! I’m on my way back. You can safely go to sleep. See you at home. _

The fresh air helped to clear her head of the alcohol and this… weird feeling in her chest. She knew the source of it wasn’t the drinks she had consumed, but rather the forward actions of her red-haired friend. It was hard to put into words what she felt right now, but something inside of her had stirred.

_ No, nothing is stirring. It’s the drinks. I’m with Cloud. I’m  _ happy  _ with Cloud. Stop it. _

She refused to acknowledge something real had happened, blaming it on alcohol and the club. By the time she got back home and went to bed next to a sleeping Cloud, she wasn’t sure if she had fully convinced herself.


	3. Chapter 3

“Drink that water, Elena. See ya later.”

“Yeah, yeah, bye.”

Reno made sure he heard the click of the lock from the inside before heading back home. He tested the door to be sure it was locked.

The drinks tonight hadn’t hit him as hard as they sometimes did. He almost felt sober already. His head was still spinning, though. Goddamn Tifa.

Tifa had always been hot. She had never been within grasp, though, or someone he even thought he would ever befriend. Times really had changed, causing shared guilt between old enemies to make room for forgiveness and consolidation as time passed. The two groups did not resist working together now, with the common goal of taking care of the planet and its people. They could even enjoy each other’s company these days.

Reno was happy about it, but not because he could hang out with Tifa and the rest of Avalanche on a more regular basis. No, on the contrary, he didn’t really care for the members of the organisation, especially the wacko with a literal gun arm. 

Calling them Avalanche was not really correct anymore either, as the organisation no longer existed. It was just easier to refer to the group collectively by their old name. Reno was just glad they could pool resources rather than fighting each other now, which meant less work for him.

Befriending Tifa had been a happy accident. After she had invited Elena to go shopping together, Elena kept gushing about her new friend when she returned to work. Subsequently, she dragged Rude and himself to Seventh Heaven on the regular. The barmaid had found their company refreshing and opened up to their friendship.

Reno was unsure of exactly when it had happened, but at some point after a late drunken night at the bar, he had woken up with a banging headache and a lightness to him he didn’t understand the cause of. Tifa had been friendly in a completely different way after that. He even remembered the first long hug she gave him when he saw her again, the emotionality behind it crawling its way into his chest and touching something deep inside of him. It had been hard to keep his emotions in check then, for reasons that eluded him. However, Tifa was a treasure, and he loved having her as an honorary member of their group.

Whenever spikey was at home, Reno knew she tried to involve him in their little circle, but after a few nights of him coming along to their gatherings back in the days, he tended to avoid it unless she insisted. 

Whatever, Reno had more fun without him, anyway. Like tonight.

Tifa suited a soft look, like her outfit of the night had been. The split in her long skirt that had revealed itself when Reno twirled her on the dancefloor had had him unexpectedly stagger where he stood, unable to avoid bringing her closer or to keep his hands off her bare skin. When his nose had brushed her hair, the smell of her perfume; peony, berries and jasmine had hit him like a punch in the face. The alcohol had emboldened him, and he had  _ actually _ told her she smelled intoxicating.

_ Shit _ .

He rubbed his temples at his own stupidity. The shock on her face had told him everything he needed to know - she was not open to his advances. Not that he meant to advance, anyway. She had been with spikey for a long time now, and Reno wasn’t a home-wrecker, despite his reputation. That was one line he would not cross. He blamed the alcohol.

Cursing his big mouth, and regretting saying anything at all, he hoped she wouldn’t act weird around him now. It was one thing to be confident and outgoing, daring to compliment and flirt with women as he pleased. It was another thing completely to openly flirt with a friend who was in a relationship with someone else.

His walk home from Elena’s was short, luckily. Locking the door behind him in his apartment, he fished out the PHS from his inside pocket and tossed it onto the bed. Undressing and getting ready for bed was quick work, which had him tucked under the duvet in nothing but his trunks soon after, goggles safe on the nightstand. 

Tifa had asked him to message him from home, so he would. She was probably asleep by now anyway, but he would comply with her wish.

_ Yo, got Elena home safely, I’m home now too.  _ He hovered over the Send button. He wanted to add more.  _ Thanks for a great night. We should do it again. _

Sent.

He put the phone on his nightstand and placed his head on the pillow with a sigh. Forbidden fruit, that’s what she was. Why was this forbidden fruit so tempting? He would have to work hard to reel this in.

Sleep evaded him, which was annoying as he had work in the morning. Turning in bed, his thoughts kept returning to Tifa’s high split and her eyes locked on his. He imagined her hand in his and started stroking himself. It was easy to get hard once he put his mind to it. He pushed aside all thoughts of drunk Elena being present with them, focusing purely on the barmaid with her dance moves, smiles and gentle touches. Deciding he didn’t want to spill on the bed sheets because of this, he dragged his ass to the bathroom and finished himself off over the sink to the mental image of Tifa’s face and the smell of her.

_ That was a first. _

He put the water on cold when cleaning himself and splashed his face to get the image out of his brain. 

Over the years he had used many different faces, but this was the first time  _ she _ had been his first choice. Making a mental note to not let it happen again, he went back to bed, finding a response from none other than the subject of his arousal.

_ I had a great time, thank you! I’m glad you’re safe at home. Goodnight :) _

The urge to respond crept its way to his fingertips, but it was late, he had work tomorrow, and he knew that he might seem too eager if he replied straight away. Hesitantly, he put the phone away and focused on getting some dreamless sleep.

“...and so Mr. Tuesti has asked for our assistance on the matter,” Tseng spoke. “To which we will agree.”

His office was bright in the morning sun. Rude and Elena sat next to Reno, opposite Tseng behind his desk. Reno could tell Elena desperately needed another coffee from the slump of her shoulders. He probably needed one himself, as he hadn’t heard half of what Tseng had said. Didn’t really matter, Rude would fill him in later.

“Where did the information come from?” Rude asked.

“Vincent Valentine has been investigating it.”

“How do you want us to proceed?” said Elena, her voice a little raspy.

“We start with extensive research. Any and all leads are followed up. We need everything we can get if this is even partly true.”

“Yes, sir,” they chimed.

“Dismissed,” Tseng said and resumed typing on his computer.

They all stood and left his office, reconvening in a meeting room down the hall as soon as they all filled up on coffee. Elena slumped forward and put her head in her arms on the table, making Rude snicker.

“So you two had a good time last night without me, then?”

“Yeah, it was good,” Reno replied with his coffee firmly between his hands and his legs on the table. “Went to Blossom, introduced Tifa to some drinks, got Elena dead drunk by the end of it. Missed you there though, partner.”

Rude gave him a smirk, nodding towards Elena.

“You sure you wouldn’t just have put me on babysitting duty?”

“I don’t need babysitting,” Elena muttered from where her head was buried. Reno grinned.

“Obvious from last night that you do, dipshit.”

“Screw you, asshole,” she flipped him off.

Reno chuckled.

“This will be a long day, so you two should probably drink up,” said Rude.

“What are we doing again?” Reno asked, a smirk growing on his mouth. “If you don’t mind repeating, I had this massive blackout just as Tseng opened his mouth.”

He put his hand to his head and feigned passing out. Elena’s head lifted to look at him at the mention of Tseng’s name. He cocked an eyebrow and put on a knowing smirk in her direction. A blush crept up her face.

“He said Vincent is on the trail of what might be causing the healing water to not work anymore.”

Interesting.

“Did we not get anything else to go on?”

“We are to make  _ extensive research  _ about the Jenova project and the trio of misfits from a while back,” Elena supplied as she sat up to resume her coffee.

God, Reno hated research. He preferred a more physical approach to things. Hours and hours spent in front of documents did not seem like an interesting task, today or any other day.

“And what else could we do instead?”

“Unless you have a lead we don’t know about, I suggest we follow orders, partner.”

He sighed heavily in response as two assistants rolled in a couple of portable units full of books, files, research papers, notes, pictures and folders. Seemed like they were going old-school for this one.

Reno heard the buzz of a phone that was hidden under the files, several hours and cups of coffee later. He lifted a book and placed a stack of reports on top of his initial notes to reveal a phone. Elena grabbed for it, seeing as it was hers. Clever, as he would have totally read it out loud, regardless of what it was. She silently read the message, stood up and walked towards the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Reno asked.

“The Director needs a word.”

Rude looked up towards Elena as well.

“Would it happen to be related to the fact that he was in an awful mood last night when I had to work late?” he said.

Elena’s face sported a frown that could kill, and Reno had to hold back a snicker.

“That’s hard to say, Rude, did you piss him off?”

“ _ I  _ certainly didn’t, but I have this feeling  _ someone else _ might have.”

“I’ll make sure to ask him and report back to you, how is that.”

“Just keep your  _ tongue _ in check,” Reno chimed in with a grin.

Elena’s frown deepened, clearly remembering his comment from the night before. A blush crept into her cheeks before she turned on her heel, slamming the door as she left.

Reno snorted, and Rude turned to him with a smile.

“What was that about?”

“Oh, I made a joke that hit a little too close to home yesterday.”

“Do tell.”

Reno retold the situation and the joke with a few colourful exaggerations, ending on his conclusion.

“So Elena may or may not have had her face up his ass. To be honest, I don’t know if I want to know.”

A humming laughter came from Rude.

“She has one hell of a temper for someone so petite.”

“Just make sure to use the word  _ tongue  _ in any situation you can to her from now on. She’ll LOVE it,” he said with a grin.

The two of them chuckled.

“Unless you get dragged back to work again tonight, we could drop by Seventh Heaven to catch you up on the drinks you missed?”

“If Tseng pulls me in again tonight, I’m pulling you in with me.”

“Damn. Let’s get this done so he won’t have a reason to, then.”

Rude smiled as they both got back to the research. 

Reno felt excited at the thought of going to Seventh Heaven later, both to hang out with Rude, and to see Tifa again.

_ No, just the drinks. Forbidden fruit, dammit, _ he reminded himself with a sigh. Still, he wasn’t above speaking to her, so he grabbed his PHS and wrote her a message:

_ Yo. Save two seats at the bar for tonight. Rude and I are getting wasted. _

Elena came back in as he put the PHS down.

“Do you want to come to Seventh Heaven tonight, or is your tongue requested by the boss?” he quipped.

She stared at him as she came to sit back down.

“Shut up, shithead.”

Rude cracked a smile and said to Elena: “I think you owe me a drink.”

“I’m busy. I’ll buy you one another time. But wait, for what?”

“For making the Director take his frustration at you out on me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, staring intently at the document in front of her, cheeks reddening.

“Why would the Director be frustrated, partner?” Reno placed his head in his hand, exaggerating his feigned curiosity.

“Could be that the cat he’s feeding is showing her claws.”

“Ooh, interesting. What do you think, Elena?”

She shook her head, refusing to take part in the conversation.

“What’s up, buttercup, has the cat got your  _ tongue _ ?” Reno said with a grin.

He didn’t even see the folder flying across the table before it hit him straight in the face.


	4. Chapter 4

The final glass was placed on the table by Denzel, who then turned to get the cheese from the fridge.

“You can put the bread on now too, I finished cutting it.”

Tifa pointed to the little wicker bowl with the bread in it on the kitchen bench. Standing by the table pouring juice into the glasses, she felt two arms slide around her waist outside her robe, followed by a kiss below her ear.

“Good morning.”

Cloud’s voice was husky and his body warm. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so the warmth seeped through her robe. She tilted her head to rest against his neck, feeling completely safe and content. They had all slept in this morning and had finally got up to get some breakfast.

“Morning.”

“Did you speak to Barret, Tifa? Are they coming tonight? We forgot to ask yesterday,” Denzel asked as he sat down, Cloud following suit. Tifa took a seat as well, and they all started helping themselves to the food.

“Yes, I did! They’ll meet us there, and then Marlene will come back here with us after.”

The boy beamed. “Awesome.”

The WRO pin he had gotten from Vincent was proudly pinned to his t-shirt. Tifa expected it would follow whatever clothing he was wearing for a while. He had shown great interest in the organisation, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he went into a career with them when he grew older.

“Do we need to dress up for this?”

“Mm, I’ll probably put something nice on, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Great,” Cloud said, stuffing the bread in his mouth.

“You do, though, Cloud. You should put on the shirt with the navy stripes. It goes really well with your eyes.”

Denzel’s snigger had Cloud giving him a push sending the boy off his chair with a yelp.

“Cloud!”

“Unfair,” he munched.

Tifa’s PHS buzzed. It was a text from Reno.

_ Yo. Save two seats at the bar for tonight. Rude and I are getting wasted. _

She replied quickly:  _ Sorry, we have dinner plans for tonight. Bar won’t be open. _

The speech bubble moved, then stopped. Tifa put her phone away, but moments later a reply came in, making her pick it straight back up again. Cloud looked over to her with an inquisitive look.

“Anything important?”

“No, Reno just thought the bar would be open tonight.”

_ Well, that wasn’t what we wanted to hear. _

“Tell him there are plenty of bars in Edge.”

_ Take Rude to Blossom. That was fun last night. _

_ We want female companionship. _

Tifa felt Cloud’s eyes on her as she typed her response.  _ Ask Elena. _

_ She’s busy… if you know what I mean ;) _

She snorted and replied:  _ I suspect I do, yes :P _

“Teef.”

She looked up at Cloud and put the PHS away when seeing his frown, ignoring the next buzz, even though she was curious about what Reno might have replied to that.

The restaurant had a warm atmosphere, its cushioned dark oak chairs and tables matching the bar at the far wall. The walls, painted a soft orange by glowing lamps, gave the room an industrial yet cozy feel. It was nice.

Barret had put on a buttoned-up black shirt, rolled up on his right arm to make room for Big Bertha. The waiter had kept his eyes on it from the moment they all entered the restaurant until after he had taken their orders. Tifa had guaranteed they were only there to eat, not to cause any trouble. He had swallowed loudly and returned to the kitchens with a reserved smile.

Marlene, in a light blue dress, and Denzel, in jeans and a grey shirt, both had their new WRO pins fastened on their clothes, and were chatting excitedly where they were seated on one side of the table. Opposite to them sat Cloud in his navy striped shirt and a pair of dark grey trousers, with Tifa wearing a deep purple knee-length dress on his left. Barret had taken up the end of the table by Cloud.

“I’m glad you’re doing good, Cloud,” he said. “I have some stuff to discuss with you later.”

Tifa extended a worried look towards Cloud, well aware of the tone Barret used.

“Is it serious?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure.” He lowered his voice. “Vincent called me this morning.”

Cloud echoed the volume of the big man.

“Met him briefly in Kalm on my way back here. He mentioned what he was working on.”

Barret glanced towards the kids, busy with their pins.

“I’d prefer to talk about this without the kids overhearing.”

“We can talk back at Seventh Heaven later, if you want to join us for a bit,” Tifa said.

“Afraid I need to head off as soon as we’re done here. Let’s eat first, then we’ll...find time for it.”

They nodded their agreement. 

Tifa got a bad feeling creeping up her stomach, nesting in her chest. She sighed deeply to steady herself. Cloud took her hand and squeezed it, using his thumb to stroke lightly back and forth.

“I’m sure it’s alright, Teef. We’ll be fine.” He squeezed again.

He couldn’t know that. However, his reassuring words, no matter how empty they were, calmed her, and she squeezed his hand back. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment.

“Thank you.”

He kissed her hair lightly, then turned to speak to Marlene. Tifa found it incredible how far he had come from being so shy and reserved around her, to publicly displaying his affection. She felt proud of him, and just the thought of being able to openly kiss him in front of friends and strangers made her smile. Aerith’s healing water had really done wonders for him, which made it even worse to see the effects of it dimming for others.

Trying to push the dark thoughts out of her head, she fished out her PHS from Cloud’s pocket where it was contained.

“Hey, Barret, could you take a picture of us quickly? I finally got him all dressed up, it would be a waste of an opportunity to not capture it!”

“Do we have to?”

Cloud sighed, but as she handed Barret her phone, he straightened and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

“Say cheese!” Barret’s voice boomed.

“I’m not saying that,” Cloud said, but put on a smirk nonetheless.

Tifa beamed as Barret took the picture. He then turned the camera towards the kids taking one of them as well. They immediately grimaced, causing Barret to exclaim his dissatisfaction at the result. They all laughed at Barret’s reaction, but on the third try, both kids were smiling into the lens. Tifa finally took one of Barret.

Barret started asking Cloud about how his delivery business was going, so Tifa looked through the pictures. After she swiped through them, she opened the unread text message from Reno from earlier that she hadn’t gotten around to reading yet.

_ Come out after you finish your dinner. We could go dancing again ;) _

Her heart skipped a beat as she briefly relived the moments of dancing with Reno the night before. There had been a hunger in his eyes when he looked at her, and Tifa had tried to convince herself that it had affected her the way it did only because of the alcohol. 

Reno came on to many girls, he was even mildly flirting with her occasionally in the bar if Cloud wasn’t there, but she always brushed it off as nothing. Last night, however, there had been a spark ignited from his eyes that lit her up from the inside when he commented on how she smelled.

In a way, it worried her. She had been obsessed with Cloud for so long, and now that they were together, happily functioning in their daily lives, she wanted nothing to ruin that. Reno was a hurricane. She imagined he could quickly spin things out of control. Still, she enjoyed spending time with him and the other Turks now, and she appreciated his bright personality and playfulness. Hopefully what had happened last night wouldn’t turn into a problem.

Tifa placed the phone in her lap, slightly under the tablecloth, and wrote back to Reno.

_ That sounds like a lot of fun, but I can’t make it tonight. _

She put the phone on silent. There weren’t any pockets in her dress, but she placed the phone between her thighs, tucked in the skirts of her dress, holding it in place there.

“...so I’m meeting Cid to see if we can do anything. That’s why I’m leaving after this.”

Tifa focused her attention on the conversation again.

“You’re meeting Cid? Tell him hello from us!” she said.

Barret grunted in response.

The food arrived, the five of them ate and laughed. Tifa was about to take a sip of her drink when her phone, that she had forgotten was hidden between her legs, buzzed. She was a little startled, but discreetly opened the text under the table.

_ Would like to see you twirl in that high-split skirt again. _

She felt the beginning of a blush creep into her cheeks. Why was she reacting like this? Heart beating fast, she looked at the people around the table, making sure they were busy with their food. She took another sip of her drink with one hand and typed back with the other.

_ I’ll be happy to come out another day. :) _

His response came within a minute.  _ I’m looking forward to it ;) _

His use of winks seemed extremely suggestive, but she smiled and put the phone away again, adrenaline rushing through her.

When they all finished their meals, Barret told the kids to wait outside as the bill was being paid, blaming it on their need to move about and get some fresh air. He then leaned towards Tifa and Cloud, speaking in hushed tones.

“Ok, so. Vincent called me earlier.”

“He mentioned to me in Kalm that he’s working with Reeve on the vaccine development for the Geostigma,” Cloud said.

“Not quite. He’s lookin’ into what’s causing the healing water to not work anymore, yes, but not to develop a vaccine.”

“Okay?”

“He said they think the declining effects have to do with the Jenova project, or something with the silver haired men from a few years ago.”

Tifa thought back on the destruction that had come with Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo, and shuddered. Barret continued.

“He also said he can feel something in the air. That’s what he’s tracking right now. Cid and I will catch up with him and see if we can help.”

“Feel something in the air? What do you mean?” Tifa asked.

“Dunno. That’s all he said. It sounds strange to me, but then again, Vincent is a strange man. All I know is that if it has anything to do with Jenova, you can be damn sure I wanna help fight it!”

He lifted his gun arm in emphasis. Cloud’s hand twitched, reaching for a sword that was not strapped to his back.

“My question to you, Cloud, is whether or not you have felt anything weird, because... you know…”

“I have had Jenova cells in me, yeah. No, there’s been nothing since the Geostigma got cured. I’ll let you know if I do.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep you updated when I meet Cid. Won’t be gone for more than a few days, I think. You good for keepin’ Marlene the whole week, just in case it drags out, Tifa?”

“Of course. No problem at all.”

His shoulders sagged in relief with a big sigh. 

Barret kept Marlene at his place most of the time now, with Tifa and Cloud acting more like a holiday home. Tifa didn’t mind at all to have her there. Denzel loved having another child in the house too, so having her for a full week would just be joyful, especially since Cloud was home.

“Thank you,” Barret said, gripping her shoulder when they left the restaurant.

As they were walking back, Cloud held Marlene’s hand on one side and Denzel’s on the other. Tifa snapped a picture of them and made it her new PHS background. She also sent Elena a quick text message.

_ Hey, got some info from Barret today regarding the vaccine research. He heard from Vincent. Do you want to come by the bar to swap info? I’m sure you guys know more than we do. _

Tifa took Denzel’s hand in hers and the four of them made one long chain as they came up to Seventh Heaven.

“Can we go to the cat park this week, Tifa?” Marlene asked.

“The cat park? Where is that?”

“Behind daddy’s house! It’s not a real park, but there are a lot of cats who like to cuddle there. I feed them sometimes because they look so hungry!”

Tifa laughed. It was no wonder the cats came back in a clowder if they kept getting fed there.

“Sure, we can drop by.”

She ushered the kids inside and turned to Cloud with a deep breath.

“Are you sure you are okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“What Barret said he heard from Vincent.”

“Oh. Yes, I’m fine. I was thinking on the way back here, actually. Why didn’t Vincent mention that to me in Kalm, if it has anything to do with Jenova?”

“I’m not sure,” Tifa said and took his hand. “Please tell me if you feel anything.”

“I promise,” he said and pulled her in for a kiss.

The kiss deepened, and his hand tightened around hers. She lifted her other hand to grab the nape of his neck, scraping her nails lightly up into his hair. He groaned into her mouth.

“We should put the kids to sleep.”

Tifa smiled and pulled back.

“I’ll do it. Seems like you need a moment to yourself.”

They both looked towards the bulge in his trousers. Tifa laughed as she walked inside to the kids, leaving Cloud outside on his own.

Bedtime was easy for Tifa. The kids had grown enough to not need a bedtime story each night, content with being tucked in and a kiss goodnight. Cloud always spent more time on it than her, as they tended to have a little chat before the kids went to sleep. It was understandable since they saw her everyday.

Tifa left Marlene’s bedside table lamp on and shut the door. She went by the bathroom to refresh and put on her satin pyjama cami. She found her PHS to see Elena’s reply to her message from earlier.

_ Sure, let’s exchange intel. Will come by in a few days. I assume the boys will join. _

Tifa smiled, already looking forward to their company. She hoped Reno wouldn’t act weird since she had reacted so badly to his comment and made a mental note to assure him that everything was fine between them. The text messages they had exchanged seemed to indicate nothing was wrong, but who knew. Better to make sure.

Reno’s comment came rushing back in the back of her mind, trailing its way down her chest, landing between her thighs.

_ You smell fucking intoxicating. _

She remembered his hand on her back, his proximity and his lips brushing her ear. Her pulse quickened, and she felt the need to be pleased. Cloud. She should find Cloud.

Cloud was in the bar, still in the clothes from the restaurant, helping himself to a glass of whisky. His bulge had gone by now, but Tifa intended to get that back very quickly. 

She went straight up to him and undid his zipper, sliding her hand inside.

“Whoa, you okay?” he said with a surprised face, holding on to his drink.

She kissed him as she worked her hand underneath his underwear and found what she was looking for. She moved her mouth to his ear, nibbling on his earlobe, making his breath hitch.

The gentle throbbing between her legs begged for attention, so she grinded it against where her hand was stroking him with a little pressure. He grew considerably at the display of her arousal. Cloud tilted her head up to meet his mouth, placing his other hand on her waist. She moaned quietly at the contact her hand made with her heat and his kiss. This is what she wanted, what she  _ needed  _ right now.

Suddenly Cloud broke the kiss and jerked her hand out of his trousers, fumbling with his zipper. His eyes focused on the stairs. 

Tifa heard it then, the soft steps coming down.

“Tifa, I’m thirsty,” Marlene said as she approached the bottom of the stairs.

Cloud turned to face away from the girl, and Tifa swallowed, feeling like a bucket of cold water had been thrown in her face.

“Alright, come here, I’ll get you a glass of water.” Marlene came running. “But then it’s straight to sleep.”

“Okay,” she said with a grin.

Tifa found a small glass, filled it with water and watched the girl gulp it down. She looked towards Cloud and mouthed  _ “Sorry _ ”. He smiled, shook his head and went upstairs before Marlene could notice something was strange with his pants.

Tifa escorted Marlene back to bed, this time turning the light off, and found Cloud in their bedroom with his head resting on the pillow.

“Nice catch,” she said with a smirk.

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to scar her for life.”

Tifa laughed.

“That’s true. You still up for it?” She hoped he would say yes as she still felt hot and bothered, and slid out of her pyjama cami. Cloud’s eyes followed her naked body until she laid down next to him.

“To be honest, not really. I keep thinking about what Barret said. I think I’ll call Cid tomorrow and ask if I should join them. You good with that?”

He put his hand on hers and leaned in for a kiss.

“Sure. You do what you need to.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too,” she echoed.

As soon as she heard the steady breaths indicating he had fallen asleep, she quietly started rubbing herself, still in need of release. She closed her eyes and pictured Cloud touching her. His hands were rough in a way that made him be extra gentle when he touched her, which she appreciated. She secretly wondered if Reno’s hands also would be gentle in such a situation. Her pulse accelerated as the image of Cloud in her head morphed into Reno. She felt a blush in her cheeks and was glad the room was dark and Cloud was asleep. Her pace quickened, and once again she could feel Reno’s breath in her ear, the vibrations of his voice going through her body.

_ You smell fucking intoxicating. _

She wanted him to touch her again and pictured him kissing her neck, her ear, her lips. Tifa went over the edge with a muffled cry into her pillow.

When her breath steadied and her arousal had subsided, she felt a little guilty for picturing someone other than Cloud, but tried to tell herself that it meant nothing. 

Before falling asleep, Tifa wondered what intel the Turks might have to share with them. The whole thing made her worry. Her sleep was restless and filled with dreams of Sephiroth, Meteor, and three silver haired men.


	5. Chapter 5

The meeting room was stuffy and warm from the days of research they had been doing, confined inside the little room. Cork boards with notes, pictures, articles and scribbles (and a drawing of a helicopter, courtesy of a sleep-deranged Reno) took up much of the wall. Reno was glad to put his back to it for the time being. 

The three of them were heading towards Seventh Heaven to swap intel with Tifa and Cloud. They had meant to do it sooner, but Tseng had pulled overtime on them all, claiming the work was more important than drinks. He was probably right, but Reno would never admit to that.

 _“Hell, Elena, what the fuck have you done now?”_ Reno had asked Elena with exasperation when they were told there would be overtime and limited time off that week. Her face had taken on a sincere sadness that almost made him feel sorry for her, even though she swore at him in response, so he had avoided teasing her too much after that and tried to focus on their work instead.

Tonight, Elena har a smile on her face as Rude locked the door behind them, making up the rear of their little parade out of the building. With a spring in his step and his arms stretched behind his head, Reno laughed. 

“Ready for bottoms up, guys?”

“SO much!”

“I am ready for Elena to buy the first round,” Rude said as he polished his sunglasses, glancing at the blonde.

“Let’s just make sure we talk to Tifa and Cloud first,” Elena pointed out. “I’ll buy you several rounds after that, yeah?”

“That’s the spirit!” Reno turned to Rude with a grin.

Humming in agreement, Rude lifted his hand to meet a high-five from Reno mid-air. The firm smack echoed, snagging Elena’s attention. She made a little jump to reach their raised hands, joining in with a wide smile.

Seventh Heaven was glowing from the inside when they arrived, reflecting the warm feeling in Reno’s chest. He was looking forward to spending some time outside of work with Rude and Elena again. 

Anticipation built for the moment he’d see Tifa too. Her absence since that night on the dance floor made the encounter even more memorable, her image resurfacing here and there despite his self-handling behind closed doors.

His heart skipped a beat as he opened the doors, locating her immediately, busy with customers. Excitement and curiosity made its way to the surface, a smirk growing on his lips. 

Elena passed him with an elbow in his ribs, muttering, “Take a picture, it will last longer.”

Unable to produce a comeback, he shook his head. He noticed Rude side-eyeing him with a smirk of his own as he followed Elena to the bar. Reno stuck his tongue out, joining them.

The bar was busy, but not full. A tall tuft of blonde spikes popped out from the kitchen with a tray of clean glasses, moving to put them in place behind the bar. Cloud gave a courteous, acknowledging nod to the three of them before he turned to his task. 

Tifa rushed behind the bar and filled up two beers as she said to them, “I’ll be right with you, guys.”

She headed out on the floor with the drinks, placing them on the table in front of a pair of men with a smile firmly in place. Reno’s eyes followed her there and back again, when she came up to Elena for a tight embrace.

“Hey! It’s been quiet from you recently.” She stepped over to Rude, hugging him next. “I assume you guys have been busy.”

“Pretty much,” Rude supplied, returning the hug.

Reno steadied himself for her potential awkwardness towards him, but her smile twitched slightly upwards as they locked eyes. 

He quickly took her in, all of her, with her glossy hair framing her pretty face, the big maroon eyes and the perfect rosy mouth. Her delicate arms ended with slender fingers, fingers that had felt so smooth in his hand and on his chest. The crop top revealed her midriff in all its glory, and beneath the short skirt she always wore were those long, delicious legs.

Reno had obviously seen them before, but she always put them out there for everyone to see, slightly hidden under her long stockings. Seeing them bare through the hidden split in that long skirt last week had felt like he was being let in on a secret no one but the two of them knew about. It had given him such an unexpected rush that he had been unable to stop thinking about her since.

He gave her a shit-eating grin, trying to not make it too suggestive as Cloud was present, opening his arms to meet her halfway for their embrace. 

“It’s good to see you again,” Tifa said from where her head was leaning on his chest, to him or to them all, he didn’t know.

The smell of her hit his nose and he made an effort not to inhale it.

“Finally got some time off,” he forced out as he let her go.

“Let me grab you guys a glass each, then we can talk. Cloud, could you clean table 4 first, please?”

Cloud grunted with a hint of a smile at Tifa and went out to pick up the empty glasses. 

Reno settled on the bar stool waiting for his beer. He desperately needed one to relax, Tifa’s presence suddenly putting him a little on edge, his thoughts scrambling in his head, and not about the intel they were here to swap.

“Elena will take care of payment for this round,” Rude told her, smiling towards Elena.

She rolled her eyes before getting her purse out with the money. 

Tifa laughed as she handed them their glasses. The sound of it tugged at Reno’s insides, his right leg suddenly tapping restlessly. The amber liquid in the glass that was put in front of him was a welcome relief to his system, calming his unexpected nerves.

The barmaid swept a look around the bar with its patrons and seemed to conclude that her attention was not needed for a little bit. Cloud placed the dirty glasses in the sink before he came to stand behind her, one hand resting on her lower back, Reno noticed. He felt a bang of envy shoot through him.

“Let’s get straight to it. Cloud met Vincent in Kalm on his way back to Edge last week,” Tifa started, her voice low. 

The sooner they could get this part of the conversation over, the sooner Reno could drink. 

Tifa continued, “Apparently their conversation was fairly brief, but he mentioned that he was working with Reeve on the Geostigma vaccine development.”

“Didn’t give me specifics,” Cloud chimed in, “and it wasn’t until we spoke to Barret a few days ago that we learned what he was actually doing.”

“What did Wallace say?” Elena asked, leaning on the bar.

Reno observed them all, taking in the information. 

“Apparently Vincent is looking into what is causing the healing water’s effect to decrease, and seems to be connecting it to the Jenova project, or Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo,” Tifa replied, a concerned frown growing on her face.

“This is coherent with our intel,” Rude supplied. “We have been conducting extensive research on these exact topics.”

“We have a few theories that we hoped you could help us solidify,” Elena said, looking towards Reno to continue.

It had been stomach-rolling to go through the Jenova project files, although they were all familiar with it already. Reading the details again brought back many memories they had worked hard to forget. The Turks were a larger force back then and it was still a hard fight. The thought of facing this situation with their reduced numbers was daunting. 

Pushing away that thought, Reno hoped instead that Tifa and her friends would support them to make up the numbers.

“We’d be happy to try,” Tifa told them, turning to Reno. “What theories do you have?”

Her eyes, so warm and inviting, locked on to his with a flicker of optimism. The warm feeling spreading inside of him was oh, so welcome at this time. Yes, he would love to have her by his… _their_...side for whatever was coming.

 _Fuck, stop thinking of her like that, she’s off the market. More important things here, idiot,_ he chided himself, swallowing to answer her question.

“I’m sure you know the Jenova project,” Reno said, idly fiddling with his beer, unable to keep eye contact. They nodded, of course. “One theory is that someone is working on this again. We don’t know who or why, but from Valentine’s intel it seems that Jenova cells are somehow involved. This might be the most likely answer as to why we are seeing these effects.” 

Pausing to assess their faces, he saw the worry in Cloud’s, his hand still present on Tifa’s back. It made his restless leg tremble again. 

Reno remembered the havoc from years passed… Sephiroth, Meteor, the silver haired trio, Bahamut SIN… It wasn’t his first rodeo, but he sure as shit wasn’t too keen on another run. 

Luckily his colleagues sat next to him with determined faces, looking between him and the others. They were his foundation and made him strong. Should he lose them, there would be no ground for him to stand on. He pushed that particular thought away before it could develop into something darker.

“The other theory we have is that the Sephiroth spawns left something behind when we obliterated them that is spreading in the water. You remember what they did to the water in the Forgotten City, spikey?” 

Cloud nodded. 

“Our scientists have been conducting tests of the water directly from the church in old Sector 5, as well as from the hospital’s water stock. They’re unable to explain it to us at this point, just saying ‘ _There is an anomaly in the test results_ ’, so take from that what you will.”

A generous sip from his beer allowed them to process the information. Cloud bore a deep frown, his hand on the bar curling into a fist, a sure sign of inner-turmoil running wild in his head.

“Do you guys know anything about who may be working on the Jenova project again, or could have any connection to it, if that theory is true?” Elena asked.

Reno felt his own pulse thrumming in his throat, as Tifa didn’t break her stare with him, his blue eyes connecting with her maroon ones. He suppressed the need to take another swig of his drink, wanting to feel her touch him with her gaze for as long as he could. 

“No,” Cloud said behind her. “You have the files on it. Would be more likely to find something in them.”

“We have tried, but no good leads have turned up yet.”

“What about your other theory? What could have been left behind by Kadaj?” Tifa said with obvious concern in her voice, as she dragged her eyes away from Reno, turning to Elena instead.

“This is also something we are unsure of. Valentine has been tracking “a feeling”, whatever that means, across the continent all the way down to Mideel, but he keeps being dragged north, he says.”

“Has he been east?” Cloud asked.

“Yes, but only as far as Nibelheim.”

Tifa and Cloud exchanged a look. Reno read the concern in their faces, perfectly reflecting his own. He felt a bolt of jealousy of the wordless conversation they were able to have. She gave him a slight nod, prompting Cloud to continue.

“Barret and Cid went travelling to Costa del Sol last week to meet up with Vincent. They should be back one of the next few days.” He straightened, resolve in his eyes. “I’ll head out with Cid and Vincent and go north as soon as they return. If this has to do with the Jenova project, I might be able to dig up something they have not.”

He didn’t have to add why. Rude nodded. 

“Appreciated. I assume you’ll keep us informed?”

There was no obligation for them to share their information with the Turks, regardless of how close Tifa had gotten to them, so Reno felt grateful for his partner’s action. An oral agreement was just as good as a written contract. They’d keep them to it.

“We will. I’ll contact Yuffie too.” Tifa said next to a nodding Cloud.

Reno had to smirk at the similarity between Rude and Cloud, both the quiet type prone to expressing themselves more through grunts and nods, only really smiling around people they liked.

“We’ll let you know if we come across anything useful in the meantime,” Reno told them, still smirking.

Everyone muttered their agreement, as Tifa’s eyes shot up to a customer approaching the bar to take their order. This made Cloud fly into action again, heading back to the patrons to pick up empty glasses and putting them in the kitchen. 

“Guess we can finally drink up,” Reno said to his colleagues. 

“Yep. Bottoms up!” Elena chimed in, chugging her beer in one go.

Rude smiled watching her and lifted his glass to Reno with a nod, chugging his own. 

Joy spread in Reno’s chest, suppressing the dread he had felt a moment ago. A laughter found its way to the surface at seeing the people he considered his family content next to him. His own half-empty glass was gone before Rude had emptied his full one. 

Rude ordered another round from Tifa, again making Elena pay, and they went back to their normal banter for a while. Tifa joined in when she was behind the bar, laughing with them whilst Cloud kept a respectful distance, both physically and conversationally. 

Reno really didn’t care if Cloud joined in or not. His focus was on the rosy smile and big, round eyes in front of him.

At some point into Reno’s fourth beer, he overheard Tifa ask Cloud to put the kids to bed, making him leave her alone in the bar. There were still customers there, but she could handle them. If anything, she had three Turks present who would stand up for her.

She approached the three of them at the bar after picking up a few empty glasses. 

“Ey, Tifa,” Elena said, her mood on the verge of overly jolly, “it’s my birthday next week and I’m having a party at my place. You have to come!”

Tifa beamed, and it was one of the most heartwarming things Reno had ever seen.

“Of course I’ll be there! I’ll get Barret to look after the kids, since Cloud will be gone with Cid.”

The thought of drinking with Tifa again had Reno excited, and seeing as Cloud wasn’t in the room, he dared to be a little forward.

“What will you wear then? Will it be my lucky day?”

A playful wink in her direction made her smile shyly, focussing on her hands. Reno revelled in the hint of colour creeping into her cheeks.

He could see a smirk growing as she bit her lower lip, and didn’t that just _do something_ to his insides. She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

The adrenaline going through him felt better than any elixir he had ever taken. He grinned back at her, his eyes full of heat. 

“Can’t wait.”

She eventually dropped her gaze, rosy lips tugging upwards as she went to clean a vacated table.

He couldn’t be imagining this tension between them, could he? The feeling of being invincible appeared when she looked at him with a smile. Any dark thoughts he had ever had went away when she laughed. In any other circumstance, he would pursue the hell out of her, but they had once been playing for opposing teams. Although they were friends now, he was unsure if she could ever see him as more than that. If she could ever see past the things he had done.

It was redundant, regardless. She was with Cloud. 

Reno allowed himself to borderline flirt, but would never go after a taken woman. It wasn’t worth the trouble of having some jealous guy on his tail trying to beat him up all the time. This was especially true in Tifa’s case, as Cloud had bested Reno in fights up to several times. He would most likely end up dead in a ditch somewhere, if he was to act on this.

Memories he wasn’t keen on remembering got pushed away, as he turned around on his stool to watch her work. 

“Hey, partner,” Rude’s voice boomed across from Elena. “What are _you_ gonna wear?”

Looking over at his colleagues, Reno saw them snickering, Elena hiding her smile behind a hand, before chiming in.

“I think we will have to wait and see, Rude.” 

“I can’t wait,” he replied, shoulders shaking as he lifted his glass of beer to his mouth.

“Maybe it will be your lucky day,” Elena said before the laughter overtook them, the two of them in stitches at his expense. 

“Oh, shut up, you two,” Reno muttered as he got up and headed to the dart board Tifa had put up recently.

He threw the first few darts, hitting triple 20 and bullseye straight away. Soon after, the corner of his eye registered the barmaid standing behind him, watching him throw the darts.

“For having had four beers, your aim is scary accurate,” she said, placing another one on the small table next to him. “I brought you a fifth so someone else has the chance to get the high score tonight. On the house.”

Turning to her, he saw her warm eyes on him, her hand resting next to the glass. It was tempting to reach out for her hand instead of the beer, but he reeled himself in enough to only brush her fingers when gripping the glass. She seemed unfased by it, not moving it an inch at the contact.

“Aren’t you a doll.” He nodded his thanks, chugging a third of the drink, expecting her to return to her barmaid duties.

She didn’t. She stayed, glancing at him, and he could feel the atmosphere around them shift. It was as if they were in a bubble where time stood still, with only the two of them in it. He felt warmer and warmer the longer her gaze lingered on him, and he tried to read her face, her pose, her eyes, when he noticed her throat bobbing as she swallowed.

Reno shifted, inching a little closer to her. She stood her ground. He placed his glass back where he picked it up from, letting his ungloved hand rest near hers, and waited for her next move.

Her graceful fingers twitched as she inhaled deeply. Reno didn’t fail to notice how her chest rose at the action, but let his eyes rest on her maroon eyes and blush lips, opening to speak.

“I…,” she started, but hesitated.

He leaned on the table to inch even closer to her unrelenting body, although for anyone outside of their bubble it might only look as if he was leaning closer to hear what she said. 

It was getting harder and harder to keep himself reeled in. 

“You what?” he breathed back.

Her eyes fell away from his, landing on his hand. He followed her gaze, though it seemed glazed. 

Reno’s heart skipped a beat as she slowly moved her fingers to land on his hand. He didn’t dare move a muscle, her grip tightening just slightly.

“I am glad we are in this together,” Tifa spoke in a hushed voice, still focussing on their hands. A small smile grew on her face when she looked up at him again. “And I like being part of your friend group. You have grown on me.”

His mouth twitched as he locked eyes with her again.

“Look at you being all sentimental.”

Her hand made to retreat, but Reno flipped his and held on to her. He couldn’t help his thumb gently brushing the top of her hand to feel her soft skin. It made his heart beat faster.

The corners of her lips quirked upward and she squeezed him gently back.

“Is there something wrong with being sentimental?”

“Not at all.”

If she had been anyone else, he would have gone in for a kiss by now. He was scared to push her away with his flaws, his rashness and boldness, but she stood her ground. It thrilled him. His eyes most likely shone with carnal need. 

“I should probably head back to the bar,” she said, voice low, eyes darting between his face and his moving thumb.

Reno reluctantly loosened his grip and let her go.

“You’re welcome back anytime,” he said and gave her a playful wink. 

She smiled back, the sight warming his chest, and returned to the bar. Deciding he wasn’t in the mood for darts, he grabbed his beer and followed, settling sideways next to Elena again.

“Did you beat the high score?” Rude asked him. Reno shrugged.

“Figured I’d let someone else get it tonight.”

“He is frighteningly accurate even with all the beers in him,” Tifa interjected from behind the bar.

“Not with vodka in him,” Rude replied with a smirk.

“You should have seen him a while back, Tifa. We were drinking at work, and had to take a shot for every dart that missed the board. Reno missed 11 out of 15 darts altogether, and didn’t complete the game.” She brushed her shoulder lightly and added proudly, “I won.”

Reno laughed at the hazy memory. “Yeah, that game got worse by the minute!”

His laughter prompted the others’ too, including Tifa’s.

“Sounds like I’ll have to give you a vodka shot on the house next time instead,” Tifa said as she headed back out on the floor.

“I’ll take whatever you give me.”

He winked in her general direction as she was about to walk past him to tend to a table in the back. Brushing by him, she put her hand lightly on his thigh, electricity trailing from her fingertips. 

“I’m sure you will,” she said.

Her hand slid lightly off him, the wake of her touch branding his skin through the fabric of his trousers, shooting through him like a lightning bolt. It was definitely making his trunks a little tight. He definitely wasn’t imagining _that_.

At a loss for words, stuck in his own head with the world spinning, he spent the rest of the evening stealing glances at Tifa and only half-participating in conversation with Elena and Rude.

Cloud returned not long after, resuming helping Tifa until the bar closed for the evening and the Turks were sent on their way. He again promised to keep them updated on what he might find with Cid and Vincent, while Tifa gave them all a hug as they left. 

Reno savoured the contact with her, wrapping his arms around her, and thought she lingered with him for a moment, though that might be his inebriated imagination. 

It was a dangerous game she was playing with him, he mused. Curiosity of how far he could push it crept up in him. The thought of being caught up in it was exhilarating, but he had to keep reminding herself that she was _forbidden fruit._ He _couldn’t_ pursue, which unfortunately made it even more exciting. 

As they went outside, he turned back to wave at her where she stood in the doorway to lock up after them. She gave him one of those bright, warm smiles as she waved back. Reno tucked away the warm feeling that went through him, for safekeeping. 

_Damn right he would take whatever she gave him, even if it was just a smile._


	6. Chapter 6

A small black bag laid by the door, ready for Cloud’s departure. He said he was unsure of how long he would be away, but had always been efficient with packing, so the bag was small and only carried necessities. 

Tifa envied the size of it. Her own would be at least twice the size. 

Cid would pick up Cloud and take him to the Highwind within the hour, dropping Barret off at the same time. 

Tifa had phoned Yuffie the day after the Turks had shared their intel. She had nothing to add to their investigation, but promised to be on alert in Wutai where she would stay put until further notice. 

It had been nice to hear her voice again, even though the topic of discussion hadn’t made room for too much personal gossip. Still, they made sure to tease each other a little before hanging up with a smile. Apparently Yuffie was making her way around the eligible boys over there and Tifa had to laugh when being told of their different forms.

In the wake of the Turks’ visit to the bar, Tifa had volunteered to help them with their research, as well as attending Elena’s birthday party tomorrow, which meant she needed a babysitter. Barret was graceful enough to agree keeping the kids with him for a bit, which indicated to Tifa that they hadn’t found much on their outing, unfortunately.

The kids were packing their own bags, leaving Tifa and Cloud alone in the empty bar. Sitting on the edge of a barstool, Cloud held her waist and looked up into her concerned eyes.

“You promise me you’ll be careful?” she said, cupping his face with both hands.

“I promise.”

“This is reconnaissance. Don’t barge in where you don’t need to go.”

“I won’t.”

“Come back to me.”

“I will.”

She held his stare, leaned in and kissed him. 

The whole thing made her nervous. Not only did she not know where he was heading with Cid and Vincent, other than that they were heading north, but having Jenova potentially be part of it made everything ten times worse. There was a knot growing in her stomach that tightened as their lips parted. 

A knock on the door shortly after announced Barret and Cid’s arrival, so Tifa went to open up. The sight of the two men did nothing to ease her nerves, but she embraced them both and welcomed them inside. 

“You ready for action, Cloud?” Cid said as a way of greeting, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips.

“Don’t listen to him, Tifa, it was boring as hell,” Barret interjected. “He makes for poor company too, sleepin’ through half of it.”

Cid threw him a scowl before shrugging towards Cloud, “Who wouldn’t, being confined in an airship with an unstable gun-maniac.” 

“Who you callin’ unstable!?” 

Cid ignored Barret and continued, “You’re chill, Cloud, so I’m sure we’ll have a fucking blast.”

“Are you still blaming me for that beer crate blowin’ up?” Barret asked, waving Big Bertha around. “If it wasn’t for your punk-ass bitchin’, that crate of beer would’ve been fine.”

“If it wasn’t for your goddamn  _ bullets _ , that crate would have been safe in my belly,” Cid replied, smacking his stomach in emphasis.

They scoffed at each other, but Cid smirked as he sat down next to Cloud and said to him, “I have a second one safely hidden away, we’ll crack it open on our way up.”

“Sounds like you had a blast,” Cloud quipped.

“Where’s Marlene, Tifa? I’ll take her and Denzel back straight away.”

“Upstairs,” she replied. “They should be ready.”

“Great, I’ll get them.”

He walked off. Tifa felt her heart beat fast as she turned to Cid, unease radiating from her posture.

“Where did you go? Did you find anything?”

Cid sighed and removed the limp cigarette from his mouth. 

“Nah. Met up with Vincent just south of Costa del Sol. He had no new intel for us, just that he was still following a fucking ‘feeling’. We gave him a lift to the coast north of the town, dropped him off and came back, really. Who knows what he felt.”

“All a waste of time, then?” Cloud asked, stone faced.

“Pretty much. We learned that Vincent doesn’t like playing rock, paper, scissors, but that’s not much for intel about Geostigma, is it.”

Cloud huffed a laugh, but Tifa couldn’t see the humor in it. The knot in her stomach tightened again. No news was good news, right? Not knowing was almost worse. 

It had been a while since she put on her gloves to fight, but one thing she knew for sure: She would do anything in her power to make the healing water work again. People deserved to heal. 

“I hope you manage to find something this time then,” she said to Cloud, with her arms crossed and shoulders tense.

He stood and took a hold of her arms, locking determined eyes with her reserved ones.

“It will be fine, Teef. I’ll message you from the air.”

She nodded, the knot making her want to throw up.

Footsteps were heard from the stairs, and Barret emerged with Marlene and Denzel wearing backpacks. It looked like they each had packed more than Cloud. They were smiling, eager to spend some time together at Barret’s place. 

Tifa had to put on a smile for them as she hugged them goodbye for now, noticing they still wore their WRO pins. They both got a hug from Cloud, before Cid attacked them by tickling their ribs. Their infectious screaming laughter put a smile on everyone’s faces as they headed out.

Barret grabbed Cloud’s shoulder as he left, muttering to him that he wanted to be kept in the loop if anything came up, to which Cloud nodded. Cid stood and got ready to leave right after.

“A pleasure as always, Tifa,” he said and headed out.

“Let me know if you come across anything of importance, Teef,” Cloud said over his shoulder as he crossed the threshold. 

“I will,” she replied, shoulders still tense, knot still tight in her stomach.

“Bye, Tifa.” Cid waved and lit his cigarette as he walked.

“Fly safe, Cid.”

“Always do!”

Cloud put on what appeared to be a smile for Tifa, but to her it looked more like a grimace given the circumstances. She leaned against the door as she shut it, taking a deep breath to calm herself, then another.

It would be fine. He would be fine. They would all be fine. 

Even with another deep breath, calmness eluded her, and the silence of the bar was deafening to her ears. Opening her PHS, she texted Elena.

_ Can you come over for a glass of wine? I’m alone and need someone to talk to. _

Striding for the bar, she took a shot of the cheap gin to steady her nerves. It did nothing.

A buzz in her hand.

_ Will be there in 15. _

She put a bottle of red and two glasses on one of the tables, followed by a generous pour into both. Tifa started her glass alone. 

By the time it was empty, her foot was rapidly tapping the floor and Elena was nowhere to be seen. A second generous pour soon filled her glass, and was about to reach her mouth as she heard the knock. 

_ rat-tatat-tat-tat...tat-tat _

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Reno standing there. 

“Hi..?”

“Hey, sorry I’m late. Rude needed me to hold his hand at the doctor’s office,” he said with a smirk.

Her confusion must have shown on her face, because his arm sheepishly scratched the back of his neck as he added, “He’s fine, routine checkup. He doesn’t like the doctor much, that’s all.”

Tifa felt none the wiser. She tried to peek around him to locate Elena, but there was no one besides him there.

“Where is Elena?”

“Elena? On duty with Tseng.” He scanned her face and the empty bar behind her. “You alright? You asked me to come, so here I am.”

“I texted Elena?”

“You texted  _ me _ ?”

He opened his PHS and showed her their text message chain, with the latest two being the text she thought he had sent to Elena, and Reno’s reply under it. Tifa gasped and opened her own PHS to verify the name of the chain she had written in, and sure enough, it said  _ Reno _ .

“Oh, Reno, I am sorry, I thought I texted Elena!”

He shrugged, giving her a smirk as he seemed to assess her properly.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be happy to stay now that I’m here already. I spy with my little eye something red and liquid in there, and you clearly said you needed someone to talk to. I am someone.” 

Tifa couldn’t help but smile and let him in, closing the door behind them.

He found the glass she had intended for Elena as he sat down with her, a more serious expression settling in his face.

“So what’s up?”

The decision of whether or not to share with him why she was worried was surprisingly easy.

“I’m worried about what we might find at the end of the line with what’s happening to the healing water,” she said, watching her glass with intent. “Everything seems to point towards Jenova, right? All my experiences involving Jenova cells have ended badly, and I seem to be unable to focus on the positives right now, that’s all.”

She sighed and took a sip of her wine, feeling her leg get restless again.

“That’s understandable,” Reno replied. “The whole thing is scary.” He sighed deeply before he continued. “To be honest with you, I’m pretty fucking nervous myself.”

Tifa looked up at him, finding his eyes averted and focused on the wine he drank.

“Really?”

“Yeah. We are so few left at work now with first-hand experience with anything...big. Most of the new recruits were too young to be involved with the Sephiroth thing. Then when Kadaj came, most of them were in training. None of them really know what to do if hell breaks loose.”

The genuinity of his voice made her unable to look away, her leg still shaking.

“As you know, the Turks are like family to me...but,” Reno trailed off. 

For a moment, he only inspected his glass as if it held the answer to his thoughts. Hesitantly, he picked the thread back up. “Only a handful of us have weathered any true storm. That leaves very few I’d trust to have my back when the skies turn dark.”

He put both arms down to rest on the table, hands around the wine glass, fiddling with it by twisting it. The wine swirled back and forth following the movements.

“The fact that we are so few now makes it even more difficult to imagine losing anyone.”

He sighed. 

Tifa felt the pain he was talking about as if it was her own. It  _ was _ her own. She was terrified of losing any more of her friends. 

The knot in her stomach tightened, so she took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay, although it was a battle she was losing.

“I just… I can’t go through…” she started, but a loud sob stopped her sentences forming.

Reno’s hand came to rest on her trembling leg. He put a little pressure on it to try to make the shaking stop.

“Hey hey, it’s okay. Take a breath.”

His voice was gentle, his hand was warm against her skin. Tifa tried to focus on these things, although her breathing was shallow and her eyes were getting moist from the pressure of the building tears. 

“Breathe. It’s okay.” His hand started stroking her thigh comfortingly. “You’re not alone. You won’t be. I’m here.”

A dam inside her burst at his words and she was unable to contain it, regardless of how much she willed it. 

She broke down. Pushing her wine glass aside, she hid her face in her hands and cried. 

The sound of Reno’s chair scraping along the floor, although his hand never left her thigh, was followed by his other arm wrapping around her shoulders. She let herself be pulled sideways into him, her body shaking with her sobs. 

He kept soothing her with a calm voice and gentle strokes on her thigh. His presence was reassuring, and Tifa felt unafraid for letting her emotions show, naked and raw in front of him.

There had been a time where she was surrounded by friends and loved ones, but the past had taken away more than she cared to think about. After her family and friends from Nibelheim were gone and she carefully had created a new one with Avalanche, she had started to feel whole again. Then, when many of them were taken away too, her heart had been ripped apart once more. 

She was well aware that the person now comforting her had had a big part in that, but she knew he had been a pawn in the bigger scheme of things, just like herself. She blamed herself equally as much for the outcome of the bombings as she did him. His drunken confession about his guilt had made her aware of how much he blamed himself too, and she had realised they both bore this burden with them. She had felt a strange connection then, which had only grown with time.

If anything was to happen to any of them now, she thought for certain there was no way to go on living. Especially since the Turks had become such a big part of her life too, she couldn’t stand thinking she might lose them.

“It’s okay, you’re alright,” Reno kept whispering, his hand now gently stroking along her head and down her neck instead of her thigh.

It was soothing. Tifa rested her head in the crook of his neck, tears still running. Her leg had stopped moving, however. 

“Take a deep breath,” he said.

She tried, but she shook.

“One more, come on now.”

With closed eyes, her hand snaked across his bare chest and found the lapel of his suit jacket, gripping it to pull him closer. His cheek came to rest on her head as he tightened his grip around her, putting reassuring pressure on her from all directions. 

Tifa took a deep, steadying breath. Then another.

“I don’t want to lose anyone else,” she managed to get out before the tears took over again, moistening the fabric of Reno’s suit.

“I know,” he replied calmly. “Me neither.”

Voicing her concerns was like unloading a massive burden off her shoulders. She could feel the knot in her stomach disappearing slowly the longer Reno held her and stroked her hair. 

Her crying eventually subsided, but she stayed put in his safe embrace, holding on to his lapel.

“Did I tell you about the time I was sent out to deal with this angry mob outside of Shinra HQ back in the days?” he asked, voice low.

Tifa shook her head, sniffing. His hand kept moving calmly as he spoke.

“This was years and years ago, during my early days working for Shinra. There was a group of 20-30 people demonstrating outside the HQ, with signs and all. The President didn’t want them there, obviously, so I was sent to remove them. Brought a few men with me for backup. I tried speaking to the group, urging them to go demonstrate somewhere else.  _ You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here _ , I said. This one guy swore at me and got all in my face, so I shoved him away. Hell broke out, I tell you.” He sighed. 

“All the signs they carried were suddenly used as weapons. They beat us, poked us and pierced us. I don’t know who brought a gun, but someone from the crowd started shooting towards my men. His aim was awful, though, so he hit his own several times before we took him down, but one of these bullets caught me near my hip bone, right here,” he said as he moved his hand from her head to point to his lower stomach, near his right side. 

Tifa eyed his hand and the fabric covering the spot he had pointed to, feeling her heart race. Reno’s hand resumed its position and the motion on her hair straight away, to her silent delight.

“Half the demonstrators got killed or injured, either from friendly fire or from my men, before they scattered. It was messy, and with me being young and wanting to prove myself, I stayed for the cleanup. By the time we finished I was severely drained of blood.”

He swallowed, as if he needed a moment to go on. Tifa almost held her breath. 

“I needed a blood transfusion, but they didn’t have enough of my type, B-negative, so I just laid in my hospital bed for days. They tried to close me up, but I got an infection in the wound because the bullet hadn’t been clean. The more blood I lost, the more lethargic I got.”

Tifa could feel his heartbeat through her forehead resting at his neck, and noticed it sped up at the memory. The thought of Reno laying helpless and dying in a hospital bed did nothing to better her mood.

“I fell in and out of consciousness. I couldn’t eat, and just got weaker and weaker by the hour. Then one day when I woke up, I felt completely fine. They had found blood for me, and because my body wasn’t working on just staying alive anymore, the treatment of the infection was also working.” He swallowed hard again.

“Want to take a guess at who it turned out has the same blood type as me?”

The answer was obvious, but her throat felt clogged up and she stayed quiet.

“It was Rude. He had been out of town for a different mission, but returned for me as soon as he heard. If we weren’t already brothers by then, that solidified it. Not only in camaraderie, but by literal blood.”

His grip halted for a brief moment, as if steadying himself. “He has saved my life many times since then, and I his. These shared experiences are something we bond through, and I fucking love that bastard with all my heart. I would die for him if I had to. Same goes for Tseng and Elena. They are my family, and I would do anything for them. The new recruits? I don’t feel that way for them. I feel it for you, though.” 

Tifa felt a flutter in her stomach and her breath hitching. He said it so calmly, so matter-of-factly, that she was taken aback. The utter misery that had consumed her minutes ago was pushed away by this declaration, overtaken by surprise, adrenaline, excitement, and... was it joy?

_ He would do anything for her _ .  _ He would die for her. _

She sat up to look at him, his hand reluctantly leaving her head at the motion. With eyes that were red and swollen, she scanned his face for any trace of a lie, of trying to give her something intangible to hold on to when she felt this low. Reno’s blue eyes stared back at her, open and honest, without a flicker of disingenuity. 

This man who had once stood on the opposite side of the cause she was fighting for, who had fought her and beaten her, then saved her, taken care of her, befriended her and somehow captured a part of her heart, he would do anything for her. And she realised she would do the same for him. If something happened to him, she would do anything to make it better. She couldn’t stand the thought of him not being in her life anymore, and if it stood between his life or hers, she would give up hers for him.

The realisation surprised her, but it filled her with a warmth she welcomed, and a smile crept to her lips. 

“Me too,” she whispered, feeling a much deeper connection build between them.

She noticed her hand still held on to his lapel and gently let it go, her hand falling back towards her lap. Reno caught it before it found its destination, his warm and steady grip making her pulse accelerate. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you. No matter what may come, I swear on my life that you will be fine.”

Tifa sniffed and wiped her eyes with her other hand. His words made their way all the way into her chest and settled there. She believed him. 

“Thank you, Reno.”

His eyes shone with care and empathy, scanning her face. It must have found that she felt better, because he stood, pulling her to her feet with him, and into an embrace. He held her close, one arm on her back, the other holding on to the nape of her neck. 

Tifa wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his jacket, closing her eyes and inhaling his leathery, appley scent. She loved this smell. It made her feel calm and steady. 

With the rising of his chest, she knew he had taken a deep breath too, probably smelling her hair in the process. Did he still find her  _ intoxicating _ , or was that a one-time thing? Tifa’s heart fluttered at the thought of it.

One of her hands took a hold of the back of Reno’s neck. She slowly started brushing it up and down with her fingers, letting her nails rake upwards as she reached his hair. A suppressed moan made its way through his nose, and a short moment passed before his hand on her neck mimicked the movement. 

Pleasure shot through her when his nails brushed her scalp, eyes rolling behind her closed lids. She sighed contently, enjoying the feeling, letting their hands mirror each other for a while, as Reno gently started swaying them where they stood.

“You still awake there?” Reno whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Your hand is slipping.”

Tifa’s eyes shot open and she realised that she had indeed blacked out for a moment from Reno’s touch. Her own hand hung limp near his neck.

She broke apart from him, a little flustered, but feeling much lighter than earlier, the knot in her stomach gone. 

“Sorry,” she said. 

“Nothing to apologize for. Just checking if you needed to lie down for a bit.”

Smiling, she turned to the wine bottle on the table. She should probably put that away.

“I’m alright now.” Her eyes locked on his as she added, “Thanks to you.”

His cocky smirk made her want to laugh. “Anytime, Tifa.”

She walked behind the bar to put the wine back in its place.

“I should probably head back to work,” Reno drawled.

Tifa’s shoulders dropped a little at the thought of being alone, but knew it was only until tomorrow. She had a lot of reading to do to catch up on the research the Turks had provided her, so she would keep herself busy.

“Alright. I’ll see you at Elena’s tomorrow?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it.”

Walking up to the door to see him out, she stopped before opening it and threw her arms around his neck again. He immediately embraced her back.

“Thank you so much for coming. I really appreciate it.”

“I told you. Anytime. I’m just sorry I wasn’t who you initially expected.”

She laughed. “I’m glad it was you actually.”

He squeezed her a little. “Me too. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Can’t wait for the  _ au naturel  _ look you keep promising me.”

Tifa heard the smirk in his voice, and laughed into his neck.

“You’re just gonna have to wait and see about that.”

“You’re a tease, Tifa,” he breathed into her ear, goosebumps immediately running down to her fingertips and along her spine.

He broke away from her and opened the door. “Good thing I like that.” 

She smiled at him as he left, thinking how she actually really liked him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter posted a little sooner than intended because I was excited about it! :D   
> I'll try to post a new chapter every Friday/Saturday until I run out. Currently working on chapter 9 :)   
> Thanks again to SixthNight for betaing <3


	7. Chapter 7

The early afternoon rolled in grey and miserable, reflecting the turmoil Reno felt in his mind. He watched the rain from one of the two little chairs on the small veranda connected to his living room, a glass of whiskey in hand. Only hours until Elena’s birthday party would begin and the realization that he’d see Tifa there stirred his thoughts, drifting back to yesterday. 

He had gone back to work after seeing Tifa and walked straight up to Rude for a brotherly hug, one that had been emotional enough for Rude to ask if he was okay. He had nodded and muttered that he was just glad to see him before shutting the door to his office to be left alone, fishing out the small flask he was hiding in one of his drawers. The rest of the day had gone by in a flash, his thoughts messy and conflicting, and he’d struggled to fall asleep when he went to bed. 

Reno now leaned back in his chair, balancing it on its back legs with one foot on the banister, trying to sort through the thoughts in his head. 

Normally with women, he would make quick work of getting them off his mind by sleeping with them, making room for the next. Attachments were rare as he never seemed to feel a connection beyond the physical with anyone he met in a bar, and he couldn’t be asked to make an effort trying to get to know them better. 

Rude had tried to set him up with someone a few times, but he never knew what to talk about, nor did he feel like sharing too much about himself with people he didn’t know. It made him vulnerable, which was not something he aspired to be. 

A chilly breeze made him shiver where he sat, but warmth spread through him as his mind returned to Tifa and what had transpired in the bar. 

As soon as he had received Tifa’s text message, he had excused himself from doing research and headed straight to Seventh Heaven. Something was wrong, he was sure of it. Telling her he had been with Rude at the doctor’s office had been an attempt at a joke that obviously didn’t land, and he had regretted uttering it as soon as he saw her face. 

Tifa’s intention to text Elena instead of him had been unexpected, but Reno chose to think her subconsciousness might have been writing to him on purpose. Seeing her distraught face and the already poured wine when he had arrived had been indication enough that he shouldn’t just leave. 

Luckily, she had let him in. Not only that, she had  _ let him in _ . She had talked to him and opened up about her worries. They normally kept conversation light between them, still balancing their fairly new friendship and never delving too deeply. This was the first time they had uncovered their fears and experiences to one another, and Reno was almost surprised to find that he enjoyed sharing it with her. 

Deciding to be honest about how he was nervous too had been easy when he realised the cause of her worry was the same as his. He  _ wanted _ to share with her how the whole situation had him on edge as well. Not that he wanted her sympathy, he just wanted to show her that he understood what she was feeling, that they had common ground. 

There had been a sense of urgency for him to let her know that they had things in common, more so than on the surface level of hanging out and being able to have fun together. It was important to him that she knew that he was more than a cocky asshole. That he was caring, empathetic, and carried massive guilt on his shoulders, same as her. 

He realised it meant a lot to him that she should like him. His feelings for her made him want to show off the qualities they had in common, rather than projecting to the world his playful exterior at all times. It was a scary concept to grasp, trying to mature, but she made him want to do it. 

He didn’t like to delve too much into the guilt. It always threatened to pull him under and he knew that if he let it in, he would drown. He suspected Tifa might be similar, holding on to the small ups in life to keep afloat. 

It occurred to him that perhaps that was why he projected such an uncaring and overconfident exterior to the world. An effort to combat the guilt, that’s what it was.

Taking another sip of his drink, he made an effort to shake off the dark descent he felt himself steer into. That was a conversation for a different day.

Tifa had been shaking. He had immediately noticed her trembling leg, similar to how his own behaved when he was unable to keep his cool exterior because of nervousness or worry. She was a strong woman who was carrying a lot on her shoulders, always putting on a brave face for everyone. To see her frail and on edge like that had hit him like a punch to the gut. 

Whenever his own leg was shaking, he always wished for some sort of closeness to calm him down. He couldn’t exactly ask Rude to hold his hand when he was nervous, so he normally coped with a drink or a quick swing of his Electro-Mag Rod. There had been no hesitation to extend a hand trying to soothe her, to give her the reassuring gesture he wished someone would give him when he felt like that.

When she started to cry, there hadn’t been a moments’ hesitation in his mind: he needed to comfort her. She didn’t need to be told everything would be fine, no, rather she needed someone to be there for her. She needed  _ him  _ to comfort her. 

Slinging his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to comfort her had been the most natural thing he had ever done. Having her melt into him and feeling her shaking body slowly but steadily relax at his touch had made him feel both proud and moved. And perhaps also a little relieved that she even was allowing him to hold her given their history.

Reno sighed, swirling his drink, fixing his stare on the liquid looking like smooth silk. 

Her hair had been so smooth. Being allowed to stroke it, even after she had stopped crying, had felt like a privilege and he had been unable to stop. 

He had shared the story of how he and Rude became brothers, both to be able to hold her close for a little longer, and to make her understand how important she had grown to be to him. The story hadn’t been a lie. Rude had been a colleague and a friend already, but with the blood transfusion he had become a beloved brother and one of the most important people in Reno’s life.

Hearing Tifa say that he was important to her too made him emotional. He had needed to turn away so she couldn’t see his emerging tears, but had instead chosen to stand and embrace her. It had been one of the better choices he had made recently. At least better than his stupid declaration to her at the club.

Their bodies had been so close together and he still had felt like it wasn’t close enough. His heart made a jump at the thought of it, in turn making him take another sip of his drink to calm himself. 

When she had started raking her nails up his hair on his neck, it was almost a wonder he hadn’t made a move right there and then. However, the gentle intimacy was so unexpected and unusual for him. Usually the women he took to bed were all about instant gratification, groping and ripping off clothes to have their way immediately. 

The situation with Tifa hadn’t been right for being turned on. It was as if his heart had made a giant sigh at the feeling of her fingers on his neck, and he could do nothing but return the gesture, wanting to make her feel as good as he did in that moment. The heated silky skin he felt when he dug his fingers through her hair had gotten goosebumps at his touch, which he revelled in. 

Reno smiled to himself remembering it. He also smiled recalling how her hand had trailed slowly off, falling away. It was only then he had dared to take a deep breath to steady himself. 

Not wanting the moment to end, he had kept up his gentle strokes for a while until he heard her breathing become slow and heavy, indicating that she was dozing off. As much as he loved being this close to her, he couldn’t hold her upright whilst she was sleeping. 

He had given the side of her head a gentle kiss before waking her up, his heart running amok at the secret gesture. 

Downing the remaining whiskey in his glass, he got up to get ready for Elena’s party, pushing his warm thoughts of Tifa aside for the time being. 

He dressed in a loose black shirt rolled up to his elbows that showed off his chest and tucked it into a fresh pair of trousers. Running his fingers through his hair, he decided to leave the goggles at home for the night, but locked his Electro-Mag Rod to the back of his belt. He never knew if it would be needed, and with the small amount of space it took, it was worth bringing it with him.

The whiskey had settled in him by the time he left for Elena’s apartment, and he felt ready for some more. Drinking to celebrate Elena’s 23rd birthday would be fun. He had tucked her present into a little bag, badly wrapped with a red bow on top. Hopefully she’d appreciate his efforts, anyway.

“You’re early!” she exclaimed as she opened the door when he arrived, black pencil skirt and white blouse in place.

“Happy birthday, brat,” he said and gave her a hug.

She laughed and hugged him back. 

“It’s my birthday, how about if you drop the nicknames today, asshat?”

“No can do, pipsqueak! Here, this is for you.”

He reached into the bag and took out the present, handing it over to her. 

“Thank you, what is it?”

She took the gift, feeling the weight of it.

“If you open it, you’ll find out.”

She eyed him and let him step inside. Her place was spacious and bright, with birthday decorations on her dining table to the left and on the wall above her couch near the back. It popped some colour into her minimalistic lounge, with generally black and white tones.

He entered her kitchen on the right to help himself to the beers in the fridge and found a few bowls of snacks on the kitchen table. Next to them, with a beer in hand, was Rude. 

“Hey, man,” Reno said with a smile.

“You’re early,” Rude responded, returning his smile, an eyebrow cocked.

“What’s with the third degree from everyone?”

“Unlike you to be on time, is all. Must be a reason.”

Reno huffed a nervous laugh.

“Reno!” he heard Elena shout from the lounge.

“Saved by the bell,” Rude pointed out before the two of them went out to Elena, who was standing with Reno’s gift in her hand, raised to aim at the front door. It was a small handgun, a Glock 42, one that could easily be concealed on her tiny person.

Reno smirked, crossing his arms.

“It suits you. Tiny and deadly.”

She grinned from ear to ear and tested the trigger a few times. 

“Thank you, I LOVE it!”

As she wrapped her arms around him to thank him, he laughed. Rude smirked into his beer.

“You can open mine now.”

Elena eyed him suspiciously. “It could only be bullets for this gun if you wouldn’t let me open it before I opened Reno’s.” She went to open it anyway, and sure enough, it was a pack of bullets.

“Well, you need both of them to make it useful.” Rude shrugged.

“Thanks,” she said with a smile, going to hug him too. “Now, let’s drink!”

The three of them were drinking in the kitchen until the rest of the guests arrived. There were WRO employees coming that Reno was mostly familiar with from seeing them around the hallways at work, but had never really spoken to, as well as a few of the newer Turk recruits. 

A couple of Elena’s friends from outside of work were also there, whom he knew of only through doing background research on them. Elena didn’t know about that, and she never would. It was for her own safety, of course. Reno just had to make sure these people weren’t using her, or were bad to keep around.

Rude sat down next to him on the couch, handing him a new cold beer. He muttered his thanks.

“So, what happened yesterday?”

Heart suddenly racing, Reno took a sip of his beer to give himself a moment to reply. 

“What do you mean?”

“You left work in a hurry, and when you came back you hugged me. Today you’re early.”

“Damn, can’t a man show a partner some love without it being a big deal?”

Rude huffed a laugh. “I know you. Something happened.”

Reno sighed, the alcohol starting to loosen him up. Around them, Elena and her guests had music on, some dancing, and some talking in smaller groups. 

When he replied, he spoke low enough for only Rude to hear.

“Tifa texted me to come over.”

“Oh.”

He could probably stop there, but Rude, as his best friend, could be trusted to keep a secret. Reno already knew this conversation wouldn’t be repeated without his consent.

“I thought something was wrong regarding the case, so I thought I’d get the intel before involving you guys.”

“That it?”

Reno scoffed. “Might have wanted to see her alone too. We just talked for a bit, but it got really deep and personal.”

He leaned back on the couch cushion to declutter his thoughts. Rude kept quiet, letting him take the time he needed.

“It wasn’t any intel or anything, nothing to add to the case.” 

They were both quiet for a while, silently sipping their drinks. 

Reno was unsure if he wished Rude would prompt him for more, or if he preferred the space to open up in his own time. It was difficult for him to put into words exactly how attracted to Tifa he had grown to be, more so than just the physical aspect. Worse, trying to explain how he felt like she was looking at him with the same spark as him in her eyes was impossible.

He drank a little more of his beer and sighed, trying to find the right words.

“It’s just that… we had a real connection. I know we did. That doesn’t happen a lot with me, as you’re aware of. And now I can’t fucking stop thinking about her.” 

A soft hum was heard from his side. Reno picked at the label on his bottle as he continued.

“I told her about the time we realised we are the same blood type. Made me think about how much I appreciate you, partner. That’s the reason for the hug.”

Rude turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. He was calm as he replied.

“You shared that story willingly? No lies or exaggerations?”

“Yup, and no.”

“Why?”

“She cried, Rude,” he said softly.

“We’ve seen her cry before.”

Those times were different. They had been on opposing sides then, whereas now they were friends.

“I know, but I wanted to comfort her. Show her she’s not alone.” 

“She has Strife and Wallace, and the kids.”

Reno didn’t appreciate the implication that she didn’t need him. Rude was supposed to support him, not poke holes in his logic.

“They weren’t there.  _ I _ was.”

“You think that because she cried in front of you, she wants you?”

“No. I don’t know. It was more than that though, man, we had this really deep connection and I -“

“She’s with Strife, Reno,” Rude cut in.

And there it was, the thing that made this whole thing extra complicated. 

She was taken, she couldn’t be his, not for a night, not for forever. The forbidden fruit, more tempting because of its inaccessibility. Maybe if she was single, he wouldn’t feel like this at all.

“Fuck, I know that, alright? It’s not like I  _ want  _ to obsess over her like this,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe he shouldn’t say any more, but the Gates of Truth were already open. 

“She makes me feel like I can open up to her. She  _ does _ things to me with just a look.”

“You’ve gotten boners over women looking your way before, partner,” Rude countered.

“I don’t mean just boners, dickhead. She makes my heart run wild when she enters a room. I can’t help but fucking smile when I see her. She warms me up from the inside and makes me feel like I’m not just an asshole. Just…” He shook his head exasperatedly. “Fuck this.”

Reno sighed and downed the rest of his beer. 

“I thought  _ I _ did all those things to you,” Rude deadpanned. 

“Oh, shut up.” Reno shoved his shoulder, earning a laugh from the man.

“Look,” Rude said earnestly as he settled back. “Tifa is a wonderful woman. We’ve all grown to like her. If you feel like this and there’s a genuine connection between you two, you should be honest with her. If you think it’s worth it.” 

He gave Reno a grin. “I’ll back you up if Strife comes for you. We’ve taken him down together before, we can do it again.” 

Suddenly feeling much lighter, Reno smiled back at his friend, brother and partner. 

The thought of going head to head with Cloud again made him low-key excited, a little adrenaline coursing through his veins remembering previous encounters. Though he didn’t feel any animosity towards the guy today, Cloud had worked hard for everything and probably deserved it. Reno envied him what he had. There was no mistaking that Cloud held the title of  _ the luckiest man in the world _ for landing Tifa, though.

The question arose in him whether  _ he _ actually deserved that title. She was too good for him.

He took a deep breath, grabbing some crisps from the bowl in front of them.

“I don’t know if it’s a very good idea, though. With our history, I mean.”

“She’s a grown woman. Let her decide for herself if the idea is good,” Rude replied. 

“We’ll see. Fuck, man... Women.” He shook his head.

Rude huffed a laugh as Elena’s voice could be heard by the front door.

“You look  _ amazing,  _ Tifa!”

Reno locked eyes with Rude, dread suddenly filling him up. Maybe he shouldn’t have told Rude anything at all. He would  _ not _ have this conversation with her here tonight. 

_ Fuck.  _

As soon as he laid eyes on her when she stepped inside the apartment he couldn’t look away. 

She wore a low-cut black dress with thin straps, a close fit around her chest and waist, with a delicate skirt flowing to just above her knees. Her heels were high but seemingly comfortable to walk on. The silky smooth hair he had been able to touch looked to be shining in the light, falling down her back. She looked like a million gil, and it seemed everyone in there realized it too with the amount of stares she got. 

Reno felt a nudge from Rude in his side, but was unable to tear his eyes away from the beauty in his sight.

Elena hugged Tifa before she was handed a big square present that she went out to the kitchen to open. Tifa followed closely behind, but she found Reno’s assessing stare in her stride. Her smile was genuine and wide, making Reno’s head swim. She gave him a small wave before joining Elena in the kitchen, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Reno swallowed loudly, realising Rude was snickering beside him. He turned to see a grin plastered on Rude’s face, eyes hidden behind his glasses that surely darted between the kitchen and himself.

“You are deep in shit, partner.”


	8. Chapter 8

Watching her blonde friend open her gift was a joy sorely needed, nausea still haunting her from reading the Jenova project files last night. Cloud had texted her after it had become dark, saying they were heading over the sea and might lose connection for a while, which had not eased her worry at all. The short message sent a stab of pain through her chest, wondering if she had done something wrong to not receive something more elaborate. She had gone to bed early, hoping the night would go by fast only to toss and turn, struggling to sleep through bad memories that drifted in and out.

To put her mind to something lighter, Tifa had spent hours this afternoon baking a cake and decorating it with frosting and chocolate to make the top resemble Elena. A candle was tucked into her little handbag, which she intended to place on top of the cake and light in front of everyone. Elena might not be a kid, but who wouldn’t love an entire party singing “Happy Birthday” to them and blow out a candle to make a wish? Tifa couldn’t imagine anyone not liking it, with the exception of maybe Cloud.

As the lid of the box was put on the kitchen bench and the cake came into view, Elena gasped.

“Tifa! That’s me!” She turned with a smile. “Thank you so much!”

“I took a guess at the flavour you might want. It’s just chocolate…”

“Chocolate is great, everyone will love it!” 

She placed the cake on a serving dish and fished out a cake spade to put next to it. 

“I’ll serve it up a little later. What can I get you to drink?”

“Do you have some wine?”

“Do I, she says,” Elena mocked, mouth twitching. “Do you prefer red or white?”

“Red, please.” Tifa grinned, soon receiving a well-poured glass.

“Cheers.”

Elena clinked her beer bottle to Tifa’s glass, and the two of them took a sip together.

“Happy birthday, Elena. Hope you’ve had a good one.”

“I have, actually. Woke up next to Tseng this morning, and he mentioned he will try to drop by here tonight, so I might get me some of that booty tonight too,” she said with a cheeky grin, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Tifa laughed at the gesture.

“Have you two talked more about being an item?” 

The cheery exterior was an obvious front, Tifa thought as Elena’s shoulder sagged. She was still smiling, but her eyes told a different story, staring at the beer bottle.

“Not really. Work is important to him. To me too. I don’t want to get in the way of that.”

“It seems like you are important to one another, though. Might be worth having that conversation one of these days.”

“Maybe. We’ll see.” Elena straightened with a resolute smile on her face. “But tonight, it’s my birthday, and we have saved the best tunes for when people get a _little_ more drunk. And you brought CAKE for me!” 

She slung an arm around Tifa’s waist, squeezing gently. “We’re gonna have fun, okay? Forget about research and bad omens tonight. Let loose and party.”

Tifa’s heart sank at the mention of the research, but she caught herself in time before it consumed her like it had the day before. She  _ would  _ let loose and have fun tonight.

Although reading the research notes had been awful, her mind had kept running in circles back to Reno comforting her. He had made her feel safe and calm, reminding her she was not alone. His promise that nothing would happen to her was so heartfelt and genuine, she was more convinced of the truth in his words.

She thought back to difficult times where Cloud attempted to comfort her. She often felt his soothing words could be a bit empty, as if he was trying to rush through the discomfort of the conversation instead of meeting her at her level, no matter how deep. He wasn’t one to dwell with her in the pain, his preferred method of dealing more likely to send him roaming. The realization made her bitter, planted a seed of doubt where Cloud’s affections were concerned. She knew it wasn’t fair of her to come to such a conclusion, as he wasn’t present to talk about it, but her mind wandered regardless.

Tifa knew this was the wrong time and place to ponder on this, however. She tried forcing her mind to think of something else for the time being, instantly leaping back to her present company.

Elena opened the fridge to retrieve a few more bottles that she put on the table ready for her guests to help themselves to. The spring in her step made Tifa happy, and excitement for talking to Reno again after yesterday blossomed.

Her eyes had been drawn towards him as soon as she stepped inside Elena’s apartment. He looked so casual without his suit and goggles. The open-chested shirt displayed his lean, muscled chest in all its glory, making butterflies flutter in her stomach. The sight of him had made her smile and she didn’t miss how his blue eyes had followed her all the way to the kitchen. 

Lifting the wine to her mouth, pink blossomed in her cheeks at the thought of him holding her close again. The vulnerability she had shown him made her a little weary as she was worried about seeming weak in front of him. It was uncomfortable to cry in front of anyone, even Cloud, which was why she had waited until after he left yesterday and tried to suppress the tears with alcohol. She hadn’t wanted him to see her succumbing to nerves and fear, and have him worry over her when she knew he had enough on his plate already. A burden was the last thing she wanted to be for anyone.

The fact that she had broken down in front of Reno was a little embarrassing, but she decided to refuse being awkward around him tonight.

Yes, tonight she would have fun and forget about her worries for a while.

“Let’s go dance, Elena.”

Elena beamed at her, taking her hand and pulling her back in the lounge to the music. A couple of people from WRO that Tifa had met before, but didn’t know very well, came to join them on the makeshift dance floor between the dining table and the sofa. Tifa moved with the music alongside Elena, but kept to the outer ring of the current dancers.

A tall, dark figure appeared next to her, his handsome suit immaculate as always.

“Hi Rude,” she said, clinking her glass against his beer bottle.

“Good evening,” he replied with a smile.

“How are you?”

“Can’t complain.” He grinned proudly. “I had smoked pork ribs for dinner, and the BBQ sauce I made turned out excellent.” 

“You made it yourself?”

“Yeah, it’s a hobby of mine to smoke meat. I have a smoker on my veranda that I use weekly.”

Tifa smiled in surprise.

“Really!? So you slow-cook your own meat?”

“Yes, I experiment with different rubs and blends of spices I can get a hold of, making sauces to go with the meat.”

He seemed so proud of this skill, she could do nothing but grab his arm and give it an enthusiastic squeeze.

“You have to invite her next time we’re over, Rude!” Elena interjected.

“I had no idea! Would you be interested in letting me sell some of that at the bar someday, if I pay you a little? I’m sure the customers would love it!”

Grinning shyly, he shrugged. “Don’t know if it’s good enough to let people spend money on it, exactly…”

“If I buy the meat, you prepare it, and I give you some of the profit, then would you let me?” Tifa almost begged. 

She hadn’t had slow cooked smoked meat for years, and could only imagine the feeling of perfectly tender meat falling apart under her fork. Her mouth filled up with saliva at the thought of it, so she washed it down with her wine.

“I guess I could be persuaded if that was the case, but I don’t need the profit. You keep it,” he replied, nudging her with his elbow.

She laughed and thanked him, enjoying thinking about something as casual as what to serve for dinner at the bar.

“May I have this dance?” he asked her, the steady beat of the music coming from Elena’s stereo making the people on the dancefloor move in time with it. 

He extended his arm gallantly waiting for Tifa’s move. She finished her wine quickly and put the glass aside before taking his arm and moving a few feet into the dance circle with him. Elena grinned and turned towards another pair of friends, dancing with them instead.

The music was upbeat and catchy, and Rude’s arms retracted as soon as they found the rhythm together. Tifa bopped along to the beat facing him, feeling the dread of her worry only as a small bead deep within her heart. 

Her eyes fell upon the couch where Reno sat, directly meeting his stare. Seeing how he looked at her sent shivers down her spine, and she couldn’t help the smile she sent his way. He returned a hungry smirk, looking her up and down in her flirty black dress and high heels. It reminded her of how he had looked at her in Blossom, which excited her more than she dared to admit. 

Tifa twirled slowly, her skirt flowing up ever so slightly, giving a peak of her thighs for anyone who looked. She knew  _ he _ did. 

Sure enough, when she came full circle and locked eyes with him again, he looked ready to devour her. His knowing smile half-hidden behind his beer bottle had her heart skip a beat and a buzz rush through her.

Dancing with Rude was nice, but she seemed to be unable to stop peeking over at Reno. Every time she did, she met his eyes. Every time, she felt a magnetic pulse running through her, pulling her towards the couch. 

“I think I need a breather, Rude. Wanna sit down?” she said as an excuse to move closer to Reno.

Rude smiled. “I’m good, you go ahead. Reno probably wouldn’t mind some company.”

A gentle pink hue slowly appeared in Tifa’s cheeks from the insinuation she was sure Rude didn’t know he had made, thinking that she would rather sit with Reno than dance with him, however true it might be. Regardless, she nodded and went into the kitchen to refill her wine and bring Reno a new beer before heading for the couch. 

Reno had been sitting on his own since Rude left him to dance with her. The heat in his stare as it followed her all the way from the kitchen to the couch, where she sat down next to him on his right, filled her with butterflies. 

She gave him the beer, heart fluttering as she felt his fingers slide over hers before she let the bottle go.

“Hi,” she said, unable to stop grinning. 

“Hi to you too,” he replied with a low voice, a smirk in place as he took in her face. “How are you feeling?”

Obviously referring to yesterday, Tifa took a deep breath before she replied to him.

“I’m better, thanks. Struggled to sleep as I went to bed, but drifted off eventually.”

“Yeah, I do that too.”

Tifa took a sip of her drink, Reno following suit. 

It felt nice to know that he understood the trouble it could be to fall asleep, and she wondered if it was old or new demons keeping him up at night. Cloud had been falling asleep quickly the past few years, having found more peace after being healed of Geostigma, so she would often lay awake and just listen to his breathing whilst her head was running marathons around old guilt and new worries.

“You look…” Reno started, his gaze scanning her from head to toe, dragging her back to the present.

Blue eyes ran over her and her little black dress, a phantom touch feeling like a trail of hot breath along her skin. Reno was quiet for so long, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, Tifa prompted him with a smile.

“That bad, huh?”

“What?” He snapped his focus back on her face. “Fuck no, you look hot as hell,” he blurted, placing his arm on the couch cushion behind her with a grin.

Tifa blushed, unable to stop smiling at his rash honesty. 

She felt younger around him, giddy and excited from the attention she received. The more time she spent with him, the surer she was that her feelings were more than just a silly crush. 

For years, she had a girly crush on Cloud. Shared history brought them together, and when they met as young adults to eventually save the world, there had been true attraction between them both. She had saved him in the Lifestream, something she knew he would always appreciate, and he had come back home with her to build himself back up again after that. 

Then the Geostigma infected him, chasing him away so as to avoid hurting her, but the distance had only served the opposite purpose. When he was healed by Aerith’s water, it opened him up so much and Tifa could do nothing but embrace him with open arms. 

They were happy together now. Right? 

She was  _ comfortable _ with Cloud. Should there be more? 

If she was being completely honest with herself, digging further in than she liked doing, there was no  _ excitement  _ when he touched her anymore, only a safe presence that she had gotten used to. She loved him, but what he could give her did not seem to match what she realised she craved. 

Heated stares, tension, butterflies, and magnetic attraction drew her to Reno like a moth is drawn to light. With Cloud, she made the transition from friend to caretaker to girlfriend, all the while missing the excitement that is meant to come with a new relationship. She began to realize she felt robbed of those feelings, no matter how temporary that phase might be. 

If those feelings were the only thing between her and Reno, she could easily have overlooked it all. But the depth of their conversations, the intimate way he comforted and cared for her, and the common ground they shared was much harder to shake. She felt inexplicably pulled towards him, enlivened by their banter, stolen glances, and raw passion.

Right now, Reno seemed to tick most of the boxes of what she needed, which was scary when she considered their history. Yet, she wasn’t afraid. They had all grown since back then, all of them for the better in her opinion. It didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes too, with the loose open shirt and no goggles.

She quickly averted her eyes from his chest when she realised she was staring.

The thought struck her that maybe she shouldn’t have cried in front of him yesterday. That she shouldn’t have shown any weakness. 

“Reno, I feel like I should apologize for yesterday,” she said with some apprehension. 

There was no real reason to apologise, though, she knew that. It had felt safe to lay her raw emotions out in front of him. To see him handle it so well, as if knowing exactly what she needed in that moment, made her heart swell. 

Her thoughts filled her with a desire for connection, the impulse driving her to place her hand on his thigh just above his knee. Reno straightened, as if surprised by her touch.

“Why do you say that?”

“I’m sorry I dragged you over and drenched your suit in my tears,” she said, trying to make it sound lighthearted.

He shrugged. “It needed a wash anyway. But don’t apologize for that, Tifa.”

The way he said her name, gentle and loving, made warmth spread through her. His ever-growing friendship and presence in her life had become a constant she highly valued, and she realised her life without him now was inconceivable. 

His arm left the cushion and came to rest as he took her hand in his. She thought for sure her raging heart could be seen through her chest.

“If you need anything at all, I’ll drop what I’m doing and come running. Anytime.” 

He squeezed her hand a little, his warmth seeping into her as his thumb caressed her skin. She squeezed back, feeling her eyes start to fill up with tears. 

“Oh, don’t make me cry again, Reno!” She batted his arm with her free hand, smiling. 

His returned grin made her heart flutter. 

“At least now we’ve both cried in front of each other,” she laughed.

“What?”

Hearing him sound so confused had her puzzled. 

“I cried in front of you yesterday, and you cried in front of me a while back. Don’t you remember?” 

She offered him a smile, a gesture he didn’t return.

“I cried? In front of you?” Reno said, his eyes wide as he started to sink into the sofa, letting go of her hand.

“Yes, you got really drunk and I looked after you while we waited for your taxi…”

He looked positively mortified at this, sitting up straight, one leg starting to shake in front of him and both hands picking at the beer label.

“Why was I crying?”

He seemed anxious all of a sudden. Tifa placed her hand on his thigh to calm his trembling leg, just as he had done for her yesterday, a gesture that had calmed and reassured her. She hoped it did the same for him.

“You apologised for Sector Seven.”

His eyes widened and he stilled completely, making Tifa regret even bringing it up. 

“Excuse me,” he muttered, standing and walking away.

The movement made Tifa’s hand slide off, her heart sinking at the dismissal. 

Realisation hit her like a brick to the back of her head. They had never talked about Sector Seven and squared things up between them, not with both of them sober enough to remember. Considering how close they’d become, it dawned on her that she couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. While she felt regret for spoiling the moment by bringing it to light, she decided to face it directly, however frightening it might be.

Standing, she followed him to the kitchen.

By the time she walked past the people on the dance floor and got to the kitchen, he had his back to her, arms supporting him on the bench next to the cake she had brought Elena. Tifa knocked gently on the doorframe.

“Reno?” He didn’t reply. “Can we talk?”

When she still didn’t get a response, she eased inside. The music and voices from the party were streaming through the open door, filling the room with low noise, but Tifa and Reno were alone in the kitchen for the time being. 

Tifa reached for him but hesitated, her hand hovering just above his back. Maybe he needed to be left alone.

Opting for supporting her back on the kitchen bench next to him, she stood and held on to her own arms to keep them steady as nervous energy, made worse by the wine, threatened to make her shiver.

“Are you okay?” she near whispered, the concern in her voice obvious.

As she took in his stance, she thought he looked on the verge of a breakdown. That long ponytail fell over hunched shoulders, his head hanging between his arms. His eyes were squeezed shut as if to shut out all of the thoughts of a ruined sector. Seeing him like this shattered her heart a little, especially as she felt responsible for bringing this up.

His breathing was shallow and came hard through his nose. The urge to touch him tugged at her more and more the longer it took for him to reply.

“That fucking night…” He took a deep breath trying to stand up more, but slumped back with his head dropping as he exhaled. 

Tifa was unsure if she should let him take his time to find his own words or not, but her nerves made the words spill out of her instead.

“You had a bit too much to drink that night... You kept repeating to me how sorry you were, and that you didn’t have a choice… I figured it was about Seven.”

“That’s right,” he replied, voice low. “But I didn’t mean  _ that  _ night.”

“Right...”

“That night we dropped the plate…” Reno’s eyes were still closed, as if he pictured the scene behind closed lids. “I think about it  _ every _ day.”

“I’m not going to pretend I understand why you did it, but…” Tifa continued, pain raging in her chest at the memories the event elicited. “I understand that you regret it.”

She took a breath before she added; “And I don’t blame you anymore, if that makes a difference.”

Her declaration made him turn to her, scanning her face, analysing the sincerity of her words. 

His eyes looked to be glistening when they connected with hers, as if he was close to breaking down completely. They told the tale of a deeply broken man, desperate for any resolution for his past deeds, living for moments of bliss to forget the pain. 

“Why?” he asked, voice on the verge of cracking. 

Unable to look away or to lie, Tifa replied as earnestly as she could, however much it broke her.

“I blamed you back then. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realised that although you guys pushed the button, it was  _ our _ actions that led you there. I am as much to blame as you.” 

She shivered at the erupting images inside her head. “And I  _ do  _ blame myself. If I had just talked them out of doing the bombings, maybe things would have ended differently.”

The memory of the smoke on the platform, the crackling of the fires and the screams all around them in the hours after the plate had dropped came back to her, the guilt threatening to choke her right there and then. Tears welled up, making their way down her cheeks, yet she couldn’t look away.

Reno looked at her, disbelief clear on his face. 

“It’s  _ not your fault.  _ It would have happened regardless of whether or not you bombed those reactors. The President would have made up another reason to do it,” he said as his hand twitched towards her, but stopped before it touched her.

“You know,” he continued slowly before she could reply, “they actually told us that they had sent out an evacuation order before deploying us to the plate.”

Tifa didn’t dare to move, her chest somersaulting at the tension between them and the untold side of the event. 

Reno’s voice sank as he brought up the memories, shaking his head at them. Everything around them seemed to disappear. It was just the two of them, and it was only this moment, this confession of shared guilt that mattered. 

“When we got to the pillar and there were people from the slums there attacking us, I thought they were idiots. I could understand that they were upset about their homes, but I blamed them for their own demise. We thought there was a plan to rebuild everything. That’s what they told us.” He sighed deeply. “I thought we were doing everyone a favour.”

Another stream of tears escaped Tifa’s eyes, the anger at the deception from the late President Shinra increasing with this truth she was offered. 

She knew it to be the truth, not doubting for a second that Reno was being honest, as his voice took on a much more sincere quality whenever he delved deep with her. His tone differed completely from when he was joking or showing off, which she felt strangely proud to be able to identify.

Tifa didn’t quite know how to reply to his retelling, so instead she wiped her tears when Reno broke their eye contact, finally standing and taking a steadying breath before continuing.

“To us, you, Strife and Wallace were just someone who kept us from doing our job. It was only when we got back to HQ and got told the death count that it hit us what we had done.” His hands curled into fists. “If I had known, I would have fought the order.”

He took a step away from her, as if he was worried about being too close. Tifa, on the other hand, would have preferred him to move towards her instead.

“I might be an asshole, but I have  _ some _ decency in me,” he added, putting a hand over his heart.

A moment of silence passed as they took in each other’s sincerity.

“I understand now,” Tifa said as the pain in her chest dulled. “I couldn’t have made a difference. You wouldn’t have been able to do anything either. It’s all Shinra’s fault.” 

She stood to close the distance he had put between them. “They would have gotten their way regardless of who pushed that button. If it wasn’t you, someone else would have been sent there to do it. Right?”

He nodded slowly. 

“I carry the guilt from that with me every day, Tifa, even now,” he whispered, the genuine expression on his face breaking her heart.

“As do I, Reno. Every single day.” She could feel herself tearing up again. “I keep thinking about what I could have done differently, who I might have been able to save, if I just made a few other choices.” She sniffed, wiping the latest fallen tear. “The guilt is consuming at times.”

Reno’s mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. An unspoken bond clicked into place between them, its foundation built on shared guilt for all the burdens they carried. She could see they each suffered beneath the weight of that guilt, not allowing themselves true happiness.

“Guess you’re as fucked up as me, huh,” Reno said with a slow-growing smirk. 

Sadness still shone in his eyes, but Tifa huffed a laugh and wiped the rest of her tears.

“Guess so.”

She held out a hand between them, wanting to consolidate their growing connection with a physical reassurance, but Reno didn’t take it. 

Instead, he opened a cupboard beside him and fished out two shot glasses, then turned to fill them up with the vodka on the table. He held one of the glasses out for Tifa, which she took, and then held his own in front of him. She mirrored him as he locked his eyes on hers.

“Here’s to carrying guilt we shouldn’t have to.”

The glasses clinked, but he waited for Tifa before he drank it. She had to smile as she toasted him back. 

“To blaming ourselves for something we weren’t responsible for.”

He smirked. “To being pawns.”

Tifa inhaled. “To trying to live with the guilt even though it sometimes consumes you.”

Their raised glasses stayed put as they stared at each other, understanding passing between them. There was more to get off their chests. 

Reno continued, his smile faltering. “To finding a reason to feel good so you can forget, if only for a moment.”

“To looking for ways to move forward and be happy,” Tifa continued, unable to look away.

Reno held her stare as he took on an earnest, almost sad look. “To hoping you’ll one day be so lucky as to be loved regardless of your past actions.”

Tifa’s heart cracked. Of course he could be loved! Did he not know that?

To show him she meant her next words, she stepped closer to him, held his stare and let her eyes tell him the truth.

“To you, Reno. For already being worthy of love, regardless of your past actions.”

With that, she clinked her glass on his again, and downed the shot. Warmth ran through her as the alcohol sank down to her stomach. She thought she could see a single tear threatening to escape him as she swallowed her drink. 

Reno knocked back his own shot, and she couldn’t tell if the tear went further than the corner of his eye, as he wiped it away quickly when putting his glass down to refill. Tifa placed hers next to his.

“Damn, Tifa, I thought we were going to celebrate Elena tonight, not have a heart-to-heart.”

His swagger was almost back as he handed her the next shot. She smiled at him, raising her glass again.

“I’m glad we did it anyway. To Elena.”

He nodded before he echoed, “To Elena!” 

The two of them drank simultaneously.

“I heard my name! Are we doing shots?” Elena said as she entered the kitchen, looking between them. 

She quickly filled up a shot of her own and knocked it back along with their third shots before exclaiming, “I think it’s time for cake, guys. Hope you have left some room for Tifa’s baking!”

A small final sniff from Tifa had Elena side-eying her curiously as she brought the cake out to the living room. 

Tifa placed the candle from her handbag in the middle of the cake as it was put on the table, and everyone chimed in singing “Happy Birthday”. The cake got cut and everyone helped themselves to a piece. Reno dished out small slices to a few people before giving himself a large piece, running away to stand with Rude. 

Tifa took the plate with the slice he had cut her and came up to eat standing next to them. Her chest felt lighter, yet when she looked at Reno he seemed sad behind the cheery exterior. Jokes were being tossed around like nothing was wrong, but Tifa could see it in his eyes. 

Out of nowhere a dancing guest knocked into Tifa from behind, making her fall forward because of the heels she wore. She instinctively grabbed onto the nearest person, which was Reno, smudging parts of her cake on his shirt in the process. He grabbed on to her to keep her from falling. The woman who had bumped into her apologized profusely, but didn’t spend much time on it before turning back to dancing again.

“You okay?” Reno asked Tifa as he held her upright by her arm, his skin electric against hers. 

“I’m fine, thanks. But oh no, look at your shirt! I’m so sorry!”

He looked down and saw the smudge on his left side of the open chest. 

“It’s fine, almost can’t even see it.”

“Please let me help wash it off… Elena, you have normal washing powder, right?”

Elena nodded. “Under the sink in the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” Tifa said and indicated for Reno to come with her. 

He raised his brows, but followed with a smirk. “Is this how you’re gonna get me to undress for you?” 

“Was planning on using a cloth to wash the shirt while it was still on you this time, sorry,” Tifa laughed in response. 

Inside the bright bathroom, she heard him lock the door behind them, which for some reason made adrenaline rush through her.

She found a cloth, wet it, and added some washing powder to a small part, before telling Reno to come stand by the sink. He leaned casually against the sink, giving Tifa access to clean his shirt. 

Her left hand took a hold of his shirt, and she tried not to slide it along his chest, before starting to rub it with the wet cloth. 

The heat in his eyes was like a radiator, she could feel them on her even when she wasn’t looking. Trying to focus on the process was difficult as she smelled Reno’s scent, woody, smokey and appley, and it nearly made her close her eyes to inhale it. 

She could see his knuckles turn white as he gripped the sink hard. A heavy sigh through his nose told Tifa that something was definitely still wrong, but she tried to clean the smudge before directing her attention to his mood.

“I really am sorry, Tifa,” he said soon after, voice hoarse. “So fucking sorry for all the pain I have caused you.”

She looked up at him, finding his eyes on hers, mouth partly open as he exhaled slowly, his breath hitting her face like a gentle breeze. 

The truth was that she didn’t blame him anymore. She had told him that, but he didn’t seem to believe her.

She stopped scrubbing his shirt, her hand still holding on to it, as she looked deep into his eyes. “I know you are. I forgave you a long time ago.”

“I don’t deserve it,” he replied with such an edge that Tifa put the cloth down and put her hand on his cheek instead. 

“Yes, you do.” 

How long she held him like that was hard to say, feeling his gentle stubble and tense jaw, the heat of him seeping into her hand. 

She thought she could hear her own raging heart over the muttered chatter and music outside the bathroom door. The way he looked at her made her feel vulnerable and excited, and all she wanted to do was to close the gap between their bodies.

Blue eyes flashed over her rosy lips, making her own eyes land on his surprisingly luscious ones in return. In tandem, they locked eyes for a moment before the pull between them became too much to bear. Warmth ran through Tifa as their lips at last met in a passionate kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

It was impossible to say who had initiated the kiss. All Tifa knew was that she felt dizzy from ecstasy the moment their lips collided.

She was pulled closer by Reno’s arms snaking their way up her back, and her own arms found their way around his neck.

Heat pooled in her lower and lower as he opened his mouth to her, allowing her tongue to taste him. Hints of beer and the chocolate cake he had eaten easily blended on her tongue. He prodded his own into her mouth, where she knew he would similarly taste the wine and cake from minutes ago. The kiss was soft and passionate and exhilarating at the same time.

It felt like a lifetime had passed since they had cut the cake.

Hands glided over the open back of her dress, one up to her neck where he raked his fingers into her hair like he had done the day before, making her moan into his mouth. 

This was exactly what Tifa wanted right now. A blissful moment of no inner pain, only focused on what her body called out for. 

Wherever his skin met hers, she revelled in his desperate touch for more, savouring the feel of him in return.

Tifa let her hands drift past Reno’s neck down to his chest where she ran her fingers over his smooth, warm skin, feeling his heartbeat run wild at her touch. Then she slid them up to his lean-muscled shoulders, letting her thumbs draw lazy circles around his collarbones to absorb his warmth. His shoulders seemed to relax into her touch, tension leaving him slowly.

As their heated kiss got more intense, he raked his fingers through her hair along her scalp to pull her closer and her eyes rolled behind closed lids.

Her head swam when the hand on her back also pulled her closer, making her lower body slam into his. The evidence of her effect on him pushed against his trousers, meeting her own throbbing need. She rested her body against his, ever so slightly grinding her hips, and Reno groaned into their kiss at the intimacy.

Tifa’s breath hitched as his hand on her back headed further south, stopping just before he got to her ass. Anticipation built in her. 

His kisses subsided to small pecks that he peppered along her jaw up to her ear. When his lips brushed her earlobe, she whimpered. His hoarse voice reverberated through her, sending goosebumps in its wake.

“I know I’m gonna curse myself later but,” he said between kisses that fell just below her ear, making her crane her neck. “Should we really be doing this?”

It was like a bucket of cold water being thrown at her. 

She stilled, her body pressed against Reno’s, hands on his chest, feeling his heart running wild. His kisses ceased, as if he was waiting for a signal to continue. She gave none.

His hands stopped in their tracks, one on her lower back and one at the nape, still holding her close. As he inhaled, he rubbed his nose into her hair, and as he exhaled, his breath caressed her ear, sending more goosebumps down her neck.

“Yeah, thought so.”

She reluctantly backed off from him, but stopped close enough to lay her hands on his chest again if she wanted. Slowly, his hands fell away to support him on the sink instead. 

Their eyes met and Tifa could feel the sparks between them trailing along her skin as his heavy-lidded blue eyes drank her up, like it was the last time he’d ever see her.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed.

“Stop apologising for shit you have no reason to be sorry for.”

“I don’t… I mean…” she started. 

What did she mean? What was she apologising for? Kissing him? Or just kissing him while she was technically unavailable? She wasn’t sure what was happening. Confusion and guilt flooded her chest, mixing like a whirlpool. 

From a logical point of view, Tifa knew she shouldn’t have done it. She was in a relationship with Cloud and the fact that things weren’t exactly what she hoped for with him didn’t excuse her actions. It wasn’t fair to him and it wasn’t fair to Reno, either.

“You’re too good for me anyway,” Reno muttered, averting his gaze and picking up the cloth in the sink to continue wiping the smudge on his shirt.

Something in Tifa cracked and crumbled. 

People always seemed to put her on a pedestal, thinking she was without flaws and did no wrong. It was unfair. Whenever anyone else messed up, it was brushed off as nothing and she would support them through it. However, if she made the wrong choice or said the wrong thing, there was never any understanding to receive, only disdain and disbelief. 

Her mindset had always made her put everyone else before herself, worrying about others’ satisfaction and dismissing her own. It was so strongly ingrained in her to not hurt anyone’s feelings, that following her heart without being afraid of what people might think was never something she had pursued. She bent to the will of stronger personalities easily, which was also why she had been unable to back up her arguments of why they shouldn’t bomb the reactors back in Midgar years ago. If only she had been stronger then...

This kiss was one of the first things she had done recently where she fully followed her heart instead of her head. Hearing him put himself down like that was heartbreaking.

“Don’t say that.”

He kept scrubbing the smudge, the cake almost all gone with his efforts, completely ignoring the bulge in his trousers between them. 

The little distance between them was unbearable, so Tifa reached out to help him. One hand over his beating heart and the other taking his hand with the cloth, she stopped his motion. He finally looked at her again.

“I am flawed too,” she said as her eyes locked with his. 

“Not compared to me.”

“Then don’t compare.”

An enormous sigh came out of him, making him lower the cloth back down to the sink. Tifa’s hand followed as she held on to his, and she had to inch closer to him again to not let go of it. She stood close enough between his legs now that her skirt rested on his pelvis. If she had dared to move any closer, it would rub deliciously against her. 

Her face tilted to look up at him. His eyes darted across her face, taking her in with heavy lids, as if he wanted to tell her something but was unable to find the right words.

Conflict raged in her mind, between her head and her heart. Her head told her to run and get away from the situation, that it was unfair to more than one party to pursue this, but her heart told her she was exactly where she should be. The whirlpool of guilt and confusion became a lake she could drown in. 

Reno had said earlier that he might curse himself for asking if they should do it, but Tifa knew that she would regret it if they hadn’t. She wanted to be close to him, to touch him and have him reciprocating the intimacy. 

Someone tried opening the bathroom door then, snapping her thoughts back to the present.

“Hang on, damnit!” Reno shouted to whoever tried getting in. The door silenced.

Tifa quickly took to washing his shirt again, her focus on the smudge alone, trying not to touch his chest again. He let her work in peace. 

The door had startled her. They hadn’t been in here for _that_ long, surely?

“There,” she said after a minute or so. “That’s the best I can do.”

“Thanks,” he said, not moving. “Look, Tifa…” he drifted off, as if struggling to find the right words. She was unsure if she would be of any help to figure it out.

“What happened here was… I’m sorry, I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”

Reno really didn’t give himself enough credit for being a decent guy, Tifa mused. He wasn’t the only one at fault here, though. She had wanted this, and she would be damned if they were leaving this room with him blaming himself.

“Please don’t apologise. It wasn’t just you…” She tried to smile. “I’m sorry if I put you in an awkward situation.”

He ran a hand through his hair. The no-goggles look suited him, and the casual clothes he wore looked good, Tifa thought, as his blue eyes swept over her face and down her body, so, so close to his.

“The only awkward thing about it is that I wish we hadn’t stopped.”

Her breath hitched, and she studied him. There was no swagger in him, only sincerity and a hint of misery. 

She wanted to grab his face and pull him into another kiss, but her head won over her heart this round. Instead, her arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close in an embrace, resting her head on his chest. His heartbeat was wild under her ear, making her squeeze him a little. In return, his arms drifted around her, pulling her even closer.

Their hips met, sending Tifa’s head swimming as she could still feel the bulge in his trousers pushed up against her. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard on not grinding against it again. From how tense Reno felt, she knew he did the same.

“Please let’s not be awkward around each other now?” she near whispered, holding on tightly.

She heard his hum through his chest.

“No promises,” he said with an equally quiet voice, making a smile creep up on her.

As they untangled and got ready to go back out, Reno added with a sly smirk, “You might want to freshen up a little so it doesn’t look like I fucked you mercilessly in here.”

Her heart jumped and her cheeks reddened as she pictured it in her mind, feeling instantly hot again. If she was more reckless, she would _want him_ to fuck her mercilessly here. Honestly, if he had said nothing, who knows how far she would have let it go… She didn’t let herself finish the thought, it was probably for the best that it stopped when it did.

She looked at herself in the mirror: Her hair was dishevelled and her lipstick was smudged. Quickly, she found Elena’s hairbrush to fix her hair with and fished out a lipstick from the bathroom drawer. It was a little redder than the one she had been wearing, but that was okay, no one would notice.

Turning, she found Reno leaning casually against the door with his arms crossed, studying her with a grin. 

“And just like that, picture perfect again.”

She smiled and pointed in his general direction, trying not to stare. “What about you?”

He looked down, seeing his bulge still visible. 

“Like what you see?” he teased, before turning around to make some adjustments.

Colour threatened to creep up her ears, even as his teasing tone made her bite her lower lip and smile. When he turned back, it wasn’t as glaringly obvious anymore.

“Either way, no one can blame me for getting a boner being alone with you in that dress,” he said with a cocked eyebrow, smirking.

“Reno!” Tifa came over to bat his arm playfully. “You’re awful.”

They unlocked the door laughing and found the outside empty. Whoever had tried the door earlier had left to come back later.

The party was in full force now. The music was louder; the drinks flowed freely; the lights were dimmed, and the rain had started pouring outside.

The two of them found Rude on the dancefloor, joining him grooving along to the music. Reno took her hand and twirled her around, making her skirts flow higher and higher. His stare was animalistic and hungry, making her bite her lower lip as she fought the urge to move closer to him.

After a while of dancing, Elena came up to Tifa, tugging at her wrist to follow her, leaving Reno and Rude behind to their own devices. She had a glass full of clear liquid and ice in her other hand, most likely a gin and tonic, that she drank on the way. 

They came up behind the dining table where most of Tifa’s cake had been eaten, and new bottles of beer were waiting for anyone. Elena cracked one open for Tifa, shoving it into her hand and indicating for her to drink as they sat down. 

“What’s happening?” she asked inquisitively. 

“What do you mean?” Tifa replied, drinking from the bottle.

“Come on, Tifa. Give me _some_ credit. Something happened with you and Reno in the kitchen, and now you’re wearing my lipstick.” She cocked an eyebrow. “It suits you, by the way.”

Tifa put her fingers to her lips, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. She should have remembered Elena’s keen eye for details. 

It was hard to find the right words. Over time, Elena had opened up to her about her private life, and Tifa had come to do the same to her, talking about everything from their everydays to personal details regarding Tifa’s relationship with Cloud. The topic of Reno was brand new territory, though. 

“I don’t really know what to say,” she said hesitantly.

“Try,” Elena encouraged.

The music was loud enough for people around them not to hear, so Tifa pushed herself to be honest with her friend, nervously looking around.

“I’m a little scared… Everything going on right now makes me anxious.”

“That’s understandable. I think we’re all a little on edge. Where does Reno come into it?”

“After Cloud left yesterday, I had a breakdown.”

Elena placed her hand on Tifa’s back for reassurance, likely because she’d once told her things between her and Cloud were less than perfect. She stroked it with a friendly, comforting gesture, motivating Tifa to continue.

“I texted Reno by accident, trying to reach you. He showed up, we talked and… I don’t know,” she drifted off.

The hand on her back stopped its movement, but stayed put.

“Did something happen between you two?” Elena asked gently.

“No. Not really.” That was a lie. Elena would see through that. “Well… He comforted me. Calmed me. Held me...”

Elena nodded next to her, staying quiet for her to figure out her words.

“He calmed me down with ease when I started crying… It was really nice.”

“I see. Okay, so that was yesterday, but what about tonight? I am curious what led up to you two doing shots alone.”

Right. Tifa sighed, feeling nerves return to her under the guise of alcohol and inescapable truth.

“I brought up that he cried in front of me a while back when he was really drunk. He didn’t remember, and when I told him he apologised for Sector Seven, we…” she drifted again, picking at the label on the beer bottle. “I think we squared up, finally talking about it. Maybe.”

“Hmm,” Elena said, her hand started her friendly stroking again. “Reno _is_ a great guy, really. I love him like a brother,” she paused, pinning Tifa down with a frown, “but if you tell him I said that I _will_ kill you.”

Tifa smiled, shaking her head. “I won’t.”

Elena hesitantly continued. “Sometimes when he’s working, I see his eyes glaze over. It’s normally gone in a flash, but I know he goes back there. To that night. Both Reno and Rude carry that night with them, but at least Rude has gotten help. Reno never wanted to talk about it with anyone.”

A stab of pity raced through Tifa. It was easy to understand that Rude would be smart enough to seek professional help, but Reno needed someone too. More and more, she wanted to be that someone for him. 

“Rude has tried to pass on some coping techniques, like breathing correctly and focus on the positives instead of the negatives, but I think his preferred coping mechanism is alcohol and women,” Elena continued.

Tifa’s heart skipped a beat. It _shouldn’t_ feel this way. She knew he had a reputation with the ladies, but suddenly it hurt to think about him with other women. 

They both looked towards Reno and Rude, now standing in the doorway to the kitchen chatting amongst themselves and a couple of other WRO employees. Reno laughed with them, drinking a beer of his own, his conversation with her from earlier seemingly forgotten. It was hard for Tifa to read his eyes from this side of the room. 

As if summoned by thought, his eyes flicked up to connect with hers. He nodded with a smile and raised his beer in a small salute. She mimicked the gesture with her own beer, and they both took a swig. Their bottles lowered at the same time and he threw a smile at her before turning back to talk to Rude.

A nudge in her side brought her back to Elena, whose cocked eyebrow proved she had seen the whole thing. She smiled knowingly. “So, my lipstick?”

Better just rip the bandaid off. Tifa hid her face in her hand and whispered, “We kissed in the bathroom… But we stopped before it went too far.”

Elena’s eyes widened, her eyebrows rising sky high. “Wow, didn’t expect that. How was it?”

The direct question threw her off, making her laugh. 

“It was actually incredible,” she said truthfully, colour rising in her cheeks. 

Elena smiled mischievously. “Good for you. You’re so vanilla.”

“What?”

“You know, not one to step out of your comfort zone. Do anything unconventional. Break any rules.”

“Oh. Am I that boring?” she asked, uncertain how she felt about the slight change of subject.

“Not boring! Just...vanilla. It surprised me since you’re with Cloud, that’s all. Very uncharacteristic, even with alcohol in you. Figured it might _mean_ something.”

Not knowing if she meant the comment as a compliment or an insult, Tifa suddenly felt extremely guilty for what she had done because of her attachment to Cloud. A frown grew on her face as she chugged parts of her beer.

“Don’t look so down, Tifa. I can _see_ the gears grinding in your head,” Elena said.

Smiling felt forced, so instead of meeting Elena’s eyes, she played with the edge of the white, silky tablecloth. 

“I should probably tell him what I did, right...?”

Silence met her at the question, followed by a small sigh from Elena. 

“Listen. I know there’s a side to your relationship with Cloud that you don’t let anyone in on. From what you’ve told me before, there are certain cracks, but that’s fine, everyone has that. I guess there’s more to it that you’re unwilling to share… I won’t pry if you don’t want to tell me.”

Cold ran through Tifa’s veins, and her heart hammered in her chest as Elena continued.

“If what you did today was a one-off, then okay. Forget about it. Don’t tell Cloud if it’s going to cause more friction. Reno won’t tell either if you ask him not to.” 

Tifa felt speechless. Telling Cloud about the kiss would probably, among other things, cause Reno to never be able to visit the bar again, which is something she definitely did not want. But keeping it a secret felt dishonest. Her mind felt like it was overflowing with clashing emotions, a dam ready to break at any moment, but she didn’t know how to correctly calm the waters. The uneasiness made her fiddle more with the tablecloth and her leg to restlessly start trembling under the table.

She could see Elena looking over at where Reno stood. It took a moment for her to speak again, and when she did, her voice was low and slow.

“But if it meant something, Tifa… Please don’t hurt him. Figure things out first, either by yourself or with Cloud. Reno puts up a strong front, but underneath is someone who needs affirmation and support, and he doesn’t necessarily handle emotional things like this very well if it doesn’t go his way.”

Dread welled up inside of her, the burden of what she had done heavy on her shoulders, and she downed the rest of her drink.

“I can’t believe I did it,” she answered, hiding her face from Elena’s scrutiny. 

The assessment went on for a good minute, Elena’s eyes scanning her face, her posture, her trembling leg. Whatever she concluded, she did not share, but her tone was gentle and friendly when she replied.

“I can. He’s a hell of a guy, probably charming too, if you like that sort of thing.” She gestured vaguely in his direction. “Annoying as fuck at times, though.”

Elena sniggered as she took a sip of her drink, causing Tifa to huff a laugh too. The mood lightened a little.

She continued: “Look, he is loyal to the bone and would do anything to protect those he cares about. Just don’t play with fire if you can’t handle the flame, okay?”

The smile on Tifa’s face faded slowly. “It feels complicated. Cloud and I have...history… And it’s _comfortable_ with Cloud… Even though we have our... moments.” 

“Maybe you don’t need ‘comfortable’ anymore. You always worry about everyone else. Put some time aside to consider what _you_ want for once.” Elena said as she picked up some snacks from a bowl. 

Tifa grunted her response. It was strange to hear a thought that had struck her briefly, spoken out loud by someone else. 

What she wanted _did_ matter. Maybe she _had to_ put herself first for once. 

She had a lot to consider, something she knew she should do with considerably less alcohol in her.

“You’ll figure it out. I’m here if you need to talk about it,” Elena said with a forced smile.

Tifa decided she would try, for Elena’s sake, to push away her worries and still enjoy the party. 

“Thank you. Sorry to bring you down at your own party… How is your night so far, though?” she asked Elena, who was now munching on crisps.

“Good,” she said offhandedly. “I’m not drunk enough yet, though.”

“Do you need to be?”

“Yes. Trying to psyche myself up to have _the talk_ with Tseng tonight.”

Elena leaned over for a new beer, grinning sideways to Tifa. The smile reflected on Tifa.

“You decided to do it! But… you’re nervous,” Tifa stated, recognizing her nerves.

“It might be a bad idea, but I believe we are both professional enough to not let it affect our work performance.”

“If anyone could make it work, it is you,” Tifa said, putting her hand on Elena’s shoulder. 

It elicited a warm smile from her, and the two of them laughed. 

“Here’s to getting drunk as hell and figuring out our lives,” Elena cheered as Tifa clinked their bottles together, and both took a huge swig.

The night went by without further incidents, and Tifa had a great time. She managed to keep from thinking about everything that worried her, other than a brief moment of agreeing to help the Turks do research during the day when the bar didn’t need to stay open. She talked more with Elena, got dragged back on the dancefloor and moved to the music like she didn’t have a concern in her life. 

When the clock struck 2 at night, Rude got philosophical and started theorizing about the meaning of life, relating it to a piece of slow-cooked meat, at which point Tifa realised she should head home. Her head was buzzing and her balance was off, so she ordered a taxi to take her back.

Elena side-eyed her as she walked out the door after having hugged her and Rude goodbye, since Reno was kind enough to take her to the taxi when it arrived. She held on to Reno’s arm to stay upright, laughing as they stumbled down the stairs in the rain, wanting him as near as possible for as long as possible. 

Darkness and pouring rain consumed them before the taxi. Instead of getting in, Tifa stopped as she held the door handle, turning to look at him. Reno smiled, warming her up from the inside.

“Thank you for a great night,” she told him, rain pouring down on her.

As he ran his drowsy eyes over her, the rain felt like his fingers on her skin, silky and searing at the same time. 

“Feels like I should be the one thanking you,” he replied with that smirk of his.

“Text me the details of where to meet you guys to help you with research, okay?” she asked, unable to hide the smile he brought out of her.

“I’ll text you, alright.”

He winked at her, sending a ripple of adrenaline from her chest to the tip of her toes. 

Unable to stand the distance between them, she embraced him, pressing her cheek to his, arms slung around his neck. He enveloped her waist and pulled her in tighter. Their soaking clothes stuck to their skin and made it feel like there was no fabric at all separating them. The need to put her lips on him was overwhelming, but she tried to resist it, still needing to sort through her thoughts. 

“Sleep tight, Tifa,” he said into her ear, the shivers his voice evoked instantly gliding down her arms.

She pushed back so she could see his face. It would have been so easy to lean in to kiss him again.

“Hey, what happened earlier…” she started gently, but Reno cut her off.

“We’re good.”

He moved a hand from her waist to mimic locking his mouth shut with a smile. She laughed, giving him a nod.

They let go of each other and Tifa got into the back seat of the taxi to go home. 

As she drove off, she turned to see Reno stand and wave goodbye until he was out of view. He was getting more soaked from the rain, his hair sticking to his head like glue.

On the entire ride home, Tifa’s head was consumed with thoughts of him and what had transpired between them. Their kiss in the bathroom had set her ablaze, fuelling a fire that used to be a flicker before. She discreetly rubbed her thighs together where she sat and knew she would have trouble sleeping until she had found release. 

There was certainly much to consider, next to the looming unknown threat they had yet to get to the bottom of. She closed her eyes as the taxi rocked her gently and decided she would worry about it all after a good night’s sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> We'll get back to your regularly scheduled plot next time :3


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